Flight Safety Information October 28, 2010 - No. 220 In This Issue Two Alaska Airlines jets bump at Sea-Tac Brazil air controller convicted over 2006 crash NTSB report blames pilot error for Servant Air takeoff crash Police Airplane Crashes in Papua WFP/ASU recognises the need of training aviation personnel in various languages FAA calls for study as bird strikes soar at HIA Gulf Aviation Academy obtains type-rating training approval FSI Advertising Two Alaska Airlines jets bump at Sea-Tac An Alaska Airlines plane comes in for a landing as another taxis for takeoff at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in January 2009. Alaska Airlines jet struck another at the gate shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the Seattle Times. A flight leaving for Dallas was pushing back from the terminal when the tip of its right wing struck the left rear tail of another empty jet, it says. No one was injured, and passengers were taken off the planes and returned to the terminal. Bobbie Egan, spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines, told the paper that the airline is investigating the accident. http://travel.usatoday.com/ Back to Top Brazil air controller convicted over 2006 crash SAO PAULO (AP) -- A military court convicted an air traffic controller for his role in the 2006 collision of a Brazilian airliner and a business jet that killed 154 people, Brazil's official news service said Wednesday. A Boeing 737 operated by Gol Lineas Aereas Intelligentes SA collided with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet and crashed into the Amazon jungle, killing everyone aboard. The Legacy, owned by Ronkonkoma, New York-based ExcelAire Service Inc. and flown by two American pilots, landed safely. Air force Sgt. Jomarcelo Fernandes dos Santos was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in jail for failing to take action when he saw that the Legacy's anti-collision system had been turned off, Agencia Brasil said. Four other controllers were acquitted for lack of proof, it said. The five were tried by a military court because air controllers are in the Brazilian air force. Santos' lawyer, Roberto Sobral, told Globo TV's G1 website that he will appeal the conviction and that Santos will remain free pending the outcome of the appeal process. "The conviction is unacceptable," Sobral said. "He does not speak English and was obliged to coordinate a flight involving foreign pilots." Joel Weiss, attorney for the two American pilots, said that "if one wanted to pinpoint the causes of the accident they would be the shortcomings of Brazil's air control system." "But Santos was the individual who failed to recognize there was no transponder signal and primarily failed to recognize he had two flights in front of him heading toward each other on a collision course," Weiss said. The two pilots of the Legacy - Joseph Lepore of Bay Shore, New York, and Jan Paladino of Westhampton Beach, New York - face charges in Brazil of negligence and endangering air traffic safety for allegedly flying at the wrong altitude and failing to turn on the aircraft's anti-collision system. In December 2008, a Brazilian air force report concluded that the two pilots might have contributed to the crash by inadvertently turning off the plane's transponder and collision-avoidance system. However, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board blamed the collision mostly on shortcomings in Brazil's air traffic control system. The crash was Brazil's worst air disaster until a jet ran off a slick runway less than a year later at Sao Paulo's domestic airport and burst into flames, killing 199 people. Back to Top NTSB report blames pilot error for Servant Air takeoff crash KODIAK (AP) -- The National Transportation Safety Board report said a commercial plane crash at the Kodiak's airport was due to pilot error. The report faults 37-year-old Jason Lobo with a "failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain during takeoff" -- a decision to not use the full length of the runway in winds gusting to 31 mph. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported the Britten-Normann Islander did not clear trees. Lobo, on March 15, was at the controls of a Servant Air flight to Old Harbor with two passengers, 38-year-old Martin Inga and his wife, 33-year-old Zora Inga. One person suffered a broken arm, another a sprained ankle and one received cuts and bruises. The crash was the second for Servant Air in three years. In January 2008 a Servant Air Navajo Chieftain bound for Homer crashed in Chiniak Bay shortly after takeoff, killing six Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/10/27/1522428/ntsb-report- blames-pilot-error.html#ixzz13enSlym5 Back to Top Police Airplane Crashes in Papua, Three Bodies Found TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:A Skytruck airplane belonging to the Indonesian Police headquarters, yesterday crashed on Wami in Nabire, Papua, at 16:30 PM local time. The plane plummeted after it had delivered logistic aid for the flood victims in Wasior, Papua. According to Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan, the Police's Public Relations chief, the airplane was carrying five police officers; the pilot, Comm. Irwan, co-pilot, Insp. Bayu, and crew members Insp. Mohamad Amri, Brig. Hadirianto and Brig. Aipul Bahri. Three bodies have been found, while the others are still missing and being sought. "The bodies were found in an unrecognizable condition," Iskandar said via a cellular message today. The Skytruck plane previously landed at Nabire Airport for a fuel refill. The plane was heading for Jakarta with stopovers in Ambon and Makassar. The plane crashed on the way to Ambon. According to Iskandar, the plane lost contact at about 16.30 PM. "The plane may have crashed due to bad weather," he said. Around 23.30 last night, the local people reported an airplane crash around Wami. With the local police, they went to the scene and found the airplane and three bodies. At present, transporting the three unidentified bodies to the nearest hospital has been problematic impeded because they have to cross the sea. Police officers have been deployed to search the other two bodies. http://www.tempointeractive.com/ Back to Top WFP/ASU recognises the need of training aviation personnel in various languages To assist East European States and Air Operators in their Safety Management implementation efforts, the World Food Programme Aviation Safety Unit (WFP/ASU) is organising an SMS course in Russian language PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 28, 2010 - WFP/ASU recognises the need of training aviation personnel in various languages Sharjah-UAE -28th October 2010-To assist East European Air Operators and States in their Safety Management implementation efforts, the World Food Programme, Aviation Safety Unit of Sharjah, in collaboration with ICAO Regional Office in Paris is arranging an SMS training session in Russian for States representatives and air operators who will lead SMS implementation in their organisations. The ICAO Standards provided in Annexes 6, 11 and 14 require States to establish Safety Management Programmes requiring air traffic service providers, aerodrome and aircraft operators as well as maintenance organizations to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS). ICAO has also published the Safety Management Manual (Doc. 9859) providing guidance for the establishment of a State Safety Management programme and for the implementation of Safety Management Systems. The training course which is schedule to take place in Kiev (Ukraine) 08-12 November 2010 will be held in Russian language. As the aviation safety is the highest priority for the whole aviation industry, WFP offer a cost effective way to provide assistance to the States and their operators in a variety of areas in aviation and to improve the safety in aviation in the regions by holding this event at cost free in line with the unit vision to improve safety and safety culture among its fellow aviation colleagues, Sponsored by a local Ukrainian Airline "Air Meridien Ltd", the training will primarily focus on: Basic Safety Concepts, the introduction to Safety Management, Hazards and risks and SMS planning and Operation, and will guide the attendees step by step through all phases of a successful smooth SMS implementation within their organisations. This event encourages East European air operators and aviation organisations in this region that do not excel in English to join forces with current ICAO and the WFP initiatives to improve the aviation safety locally and globally. Around 40 participants from 18 different companies including but not limited to: Maximus Air Cargo, Air Company Meridian, GM Helicopters, Ukrainian Helicopters, WFP, Aerovis, Rus Aviation, Skol and Volga Deneper, are overwhelmed by this initiative and have already registered their delegates for the course. # # # The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded. In 2009 we aim to reach more than 100 million people with food assistance in 74 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor. WFP's five objectives: 1. Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies, 2. Prepare for emergencies 3. Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies, 4. Reduce chronic hunger and under nutrition everywhere, 5. Strengthen the capacity of countries to reduce hunger Back to Top FAA calls for study as bird strikes soar at HIA Airport officials call the spike a 'nuisance' that hasn't disrupted flights. They say it appears an increase in bugs has lured more hungry swallows. A dramatic increase in bird-plane collisions at Harrisburg International Airport has drawn the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration. Airport Executive Director Tim Edwards said there have been more than 70 bird strikes -- mainly swallows -- at HIA this year. That is off the charts compared to what HIA usually sees. There were 24 bird strikes in 2009 and 19 in 2008. It appears that an increase in insects is drawing more swallows to the airport looking to feed, HIA officials said. Edwards said the FAA requires that airports do a wildlife hazard study if certain conditions are met, among them bird strikes. On Wednesday, airport owner Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority awarded a $96,545 contract to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to do the study. The FAA requirement isn't new, but Edwards said the FAA has seen bird strikes as a higher priority since January 2009, when a flock of Canada geese collided with a US Airways jetliner over New York City. That led to the dramatic landing on the Hudson River by Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. Nothing similar has happened at HIA this year or before. Edwards described the HIA bird strikes as a "nuisance." No flights have been canceled, and chances are none of the strikes has been noticed by passengers. Belinda Svirbely, the airport's deputy director for operations, security and public safety, said rainfall was down this year, and it caused the water level to drop on the Susquehanna River, which borders the airport. Lower water levels, slower current and higher temperatures made the river a more attractive breeding ground for insects and hungry birds, she said. Edwards said the airport was already on a swallow migration path before the rise in insect population. There could also be changes in migratory patterns contributing to the higher number of bird strikes. Airport flight operations are up 7 percent in 2010, but that's not enough to explain the high number of bird strikes, Edwards said. The airport tries to scare the swallows away by using noisemakers and pyrotechnics. The airport sprays to reduce the insect population and lets the grass grow a little higher so it's more difficult for swallows to spot their prey. Crews also get rid of standing water on the airport, but "the river is one big pool of standing water," Edwards said. While deer-vehicle collisions have become more common in the midstate and the occasional bear is found roaming, Edwards said the birds are HIA's only wildlife headache, as far as officials know. Every once in a while, a turtle comes ashore and must be put back in the river. The study will take a year so the department can monitor conditions throughout all four seasons. Edwards expects fewer bird strikes the rest of this year as it gets colder and the swallows migrate. Also, there has been more rain in recent months, so the river is higher. Depending on weather conditions next year, the number of bird strikes could end up being a freak occurrence for 2010. It's too early to know, Edwards said. http://www.pennlive.com/ Back to Top Gulf Aviation Academy obtains type-rating training approval Bahrain's Gulf Aviation Academy has secured approval as a type- rating training organisation from the local administration as well as the UK's Civil Aviation Authority. The academy is providing simulator training and type-rating courses for Airbus A320 and A330/340 aircraft, as well as multi-crew co- operation courses and cabin crew training. Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs undersecretary Capt Abdulrahman Al Gaoud says the academy's facilities are "comparable to other world- class facilities" and says it will help promote the organisation as a "centre of excellence for aviation training in the region". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC