Flight Safety Information November 5, 2010 - No. 227 In This Issue Cuban airliner crashes with 68 people on board Delta Airlines jet searched after Mumbai landing AirTran pilot's gun goes missing at Fla. airport... American Airlines Pilots in Revolt Against the TSA Pakistan Plane Crash Kills 21 Pilot Reliance on Automation Erodes Skills Unions: Safety bar set lower for cargo planes Gulfstream International files for bankruptcy Airlines were warned in August over engine safety Cuban airliner crashes with 68 people on board (AP) HAVANA - A Cuban airliner flying from the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to the capital crashed in a mountainous area after declaring an emergency Thursday evening with 68 people aboard, including 28 foreigners, state media reported. There was no immediate word on whether any survived. AeroCaribbean Flight 883 went down near the village of Guasimal in Santi Spiritus province, carrying 61 passengers and a crew of seven, state television said. It said 28 passengers were foreigners, but did not give a breakdown of nationalities. State media said the names of those on board would be released later. Rescue workers were at the scene and had recovered the first bodies, according to the local state-run newspaper Escambray. It said they were also searching the rugged area for survivors. A photo posted on the paper's Web site showed a large piece of the plane in flames, with rescue workers in olive-green military uniforms standing around it. It said the local Communist Party chief as well as Interior Ministry and other officials were at the scene helping with the rescue effort. The twice-a-week flight goes from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Santiago de Cuba to Havana. It had been due to land in the Cuban capital at 7:50 p.m, but reported an emergency at 5:42 p.m. and subsequently lost contact with air traffic controllers. State media said that the plane was an ATR-72 twin turboprop and that the crash site was not far from the Zaza reservoir, the largest in Cuba. It said authorities had mobilized doctors and emergency workers in the rural area, which is about 220 miles (350 kilometers) east of Havana. At Havana's national terminal, relatives of those on board the plane were kept isolated from other passengers and journalists. "This is very sad," said Caridad de las Mercedes Gonzalez, who was manning an airport information desk. "We are very worried. This has taken us by surprise." State media gave no details on what happened to the airliner, saying only that the cause of the crash was being investigated. The flight would have been one of the last leaving Santiago de Cuba for Havana ahead of Tropical Storm Tomas, which was on a track to pass between Cuba's eastern end and the western coast of Haiti on Friday. Cuban media said earlier that flights and train service to Santiago were being suspended until the storm passed. AeroCaribbean is owned by Cuban state airline Cubana de Aviacion. The last passenger plane crash on the island occurred in March 2002, when a Soviet-made biplane carrying 16 people - including 12 foreigners - plunged into a small reservoir in central Cuba. The plane was operated by a small local charter company called Aerotaxi. Back to Top Delta Airlines jet searched after Mumbai landing (BBC) Delta requested a rescreening of cargo on landing at Mumbai A Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam has been evacuated and searched after landing at Mumbai airport in western India. Flight 70, carrying 244 passengers, was taken to a secure area after reports of suspicious cargo in the hold. A Delta employee in Amsterdam had informed the pilot about the unidentified object, officials said. The cargo was later given the all clear after being found not to have any suspicious materials. The plane touched down at 2300 local time (0530GMT). A Delta spokesman said: "Upon landing in Mumbai, we requested a precautionary rescreening of a cargo shipment on board flight 70. All passengers were safely deplaned and we are cooperating with authorities in their assessment." Airport spokesman Manish Kalghatgi told Associated Press news agency the plane was inspected by bomb squads and airport security officials. Mumbai (Bombay) airport continued to operate normally. The incident comes two days before the arrival at Mumbai airport of US President Barack Obama, who is beginning a 10-day Asia visit. Airports remain on high alert following the discovery of two parcel bombs sent from Yemen last week. Back to Top AirTran pilot's gun goes missing at Fla. airport ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) -- The FBI is investigating after an AirTran pilot's gun goes missing at Orlando International Airport. According to a statement from the airline, the pilot noticed that his bags were missing Tuesday evening. One of the bags contained a gun. Officials said the pilot has been trained to use firearms by the Federal Air Marshal Service as part of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. The airline says passengers on the pilot's plane were removed and screen before their plane was cleared to depart. Details about where the bags went missing or where the plane was going were not released. FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier said Wednesday that the agency is investigating. Back to Top American Airlines Pilots in Revolt Against the TSA This is a letter from Captain Dave Bates, the president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 11,000 American Airlines pilots, to his members, in which he calls on pilots to refuse back-scatter screening and demand private pat-downs from TSA officers. Bates's argument is multifaceted and extremely cogent. He worries about increased exposure to radiation, of course (a big worry among commercial pilots) and he is eloquent on the subject of intentional humiliation: There is absolutely no denying that the enhanced pat-down is a demeaning experience. In my view, it is unacceptable to submit to one in public while wearing the uniform of a professional airline pilot. I recommend that all pilots insist that such screening is performed in an out-of-view area to protect their privacy and dignity. It is a source of continual astonishment to me that pilots -- many of whom, it should be pointed out, are military veterans who possess security clearances -- are not allowed to carry onboard their airplanes pocket knives and bottles of shampoo, but then they're allowed to fly enormous, fuel-laden, missile-like objects over American cities. Read the whole thing: : Fellow Pilots, In response to increased threats to civil aviation around the world, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has implemented the use of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) body scanners at some airport locations. While I'm sure that each of us recognizes that the threats to our lives are real, the practice of airport security screening of airline pilots has spun out of control and does nothing to improve national security. It's long past time that policymakers take the steps necessary to exempt commercial pilots from airport security screening and grant designated pilot access to SIDA utilizing either Crew Pass or biometric identification. As I recently wrote to the TSA Administrator: "Our pilots are highly motivated partners in the effort to protect our nation's security, with many of us serving as Federal Flight Deck Officers. We are all keenly aware that we may serve as the last line of defense against another terrorist attack on commercial aviation. Rather than being viewed as potential threats, we should be treated commensurate with the authority and responsibility that we are vested with as professional pilots." It is important to note that there are "backscatter" AIT devices now being deployed that produce ionizing radiation, which could be harmful to your health. Airline pilots in the United States already receive higher doses of radiation in their on-the-job environment than nearly every other category of worker in the United States, including nuclear power plant employees. As I also stated in my recent letter to the Administrator of the TSA: "We are exposed to radiation every day on the job. For example, a typical Atlantic crossing during a solar flare can expose a pilot to radiation equivalent to 100 chest X-rays per hour. Requiring pilots to go through the AIT means additional radiation exposure. I share our pilots' concerns about this additional radiation exposure and plan to recommend that our pilots refrain from going through the AIT. We already experience significantly higher radiation exposure than most other occupations, and there is mounting evidence of higher-than-average cancer rates as a consequence." It's safe to say that most of the APA leadership shares my view that no pilot at American Airlines should subject themselves to the needless privacy invasion and potential health risks caused by the AIT body scanners. I therefore recommend that the pilots of American Airlines consider the following guidelines: Use designated crew lines if available. Politely decline AIT exposure and request alternative screening. There is absolutely no denying that the enhanced pat-down is a demeaning experience. In my view, it is unacceptable to submit to one in public while wearing the uniform of a professional airline pilot. I recommend that all pilots insist that such screening is performed in an out-of-view area to protect their privacy and dignity. If screening delays your arrival at the cockpit, do not cut corners that jeopardize the safety of the flight. Consummate professionalism and safety are always paramount. Maintain composure and professionalism at all times and recognize that you are probably being videotaped. If you feel that you have been treated with less than courtesy, respect and professionalism, please submit an observer report to APA. Please be sure to include the time, date, security checkpoint and name of the TSA employee who performed the screening. Avoid confrontation. Your APA Board of Directors and National Officers are holding a conference call this week to discuss these issues and further guidance may be forthcoming. While I cannot promise results tomorrow, I pledge to dedicate APA resources in the days and weeks to come to achieve direct access to SIDA for the pilots of American Airlines. In the meantime, I am confident that you will continue to exhibit your usual utmost professionalism as you safely operate and protect our nation's air transport system. http://www.theatlantic.com/ Back to Top Pakistan Plane Crash Kills 21 (VOA) In Pakistan a small chartered plane has crashed in the south of the country, killing all 21 people on board. The plane departed from Pakistan's airport in the port city of Karachi and shortly after takeoff began experiencing mechanical trouble. "Right after takeoff the pilot reported that one of his engines is not working properly, there is a problem in one engine and he was asked to land back. When he was turning back at the same time it fell down and crashed," explained Pervez George, a spokesman for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority. The plane, owned by Pakistani charter company JS Air, crashed into an open field near a military depot. Officials say the Beech twin engine aircraft had been chartered by ENI, an Italian-based oil company, and was carrying its employees. Authorities say the plane's destination was an oil field in Bhit Shah, in the southern province of Sindh. The plane caught fire after the crash and pictures from the scene showed it had broken into pieces, with the tail separated from the rest of the aircraft. Officials say the bodies of the passengers and crew were charred beyond recognition. Pakistani television reports say the plane's flight data recorder was recovered from the crash site. Pakistan is a large country of about 170 million people where inter-city travel is most efficient by air. Karachi is Pakistan's business and economic capital and is a teeming city of at least 16 million people on the Arabian Sea. In July, a passenger Airbus 321 jet operated by Airblue, crashed into a hillside outside the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing 152 people. *********** Status: Preliminary Date: 05 NOV 2010 Time: 07:31 Type: Beechcraft 1900C Operator: JS Air Registration: C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 17 Total: Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI) (Pakistan) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI/OPKC), Pakistan Destination airport: ? Narrative: A Beechcraft 1900C passenger plane, registration unknown, was destroyed in an accident near Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI), Pakistan. All 17 passengers and four crew members were killed. The airplane was chartered by Italian oil company Eni to transport personnel to an oil field near Bhit Shah in Sindh province. A CAA spokesman reported that the airplane had suffered an engine failure on climbout and the pilot had radioed that he was returning to the airport. The airplane crashed near a residential area in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Town. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Pilot Reliance on Automation Erodes Skills By ANDY PASZTOR MILAN (WSJ)-Increasing reliance on cockpit automation appears to be significantly eroding the manual flying skills of many airline pilots, who are then "sometimes not prepared to deal with non-routine situations," according to the researcher behind a sweeping air-safety study released Thursday. P resented to an international aviation safety conference here by senior Federal Aviation Administration scientist Kathy Abbott, the study's conclusions buttress the idea that a significant percentage of airline pilots rely excessively on computerized cockpit aids. Such adherence to computer-assisted pilotingg-and the confusion that can result when pilots fail to properly keep up with computer changes-increasingly are considered major factors in airliner crashes world-wide. Prepared by a team of industry, labor, university and government experts, the findings reveal fundamental safety gaps in commercial aviation. And they are likely to prompt stepped-up debate over whether pilot training should be changed to reverse that trend. Kathy Abbott, the agency' s chief technical advisor for flight deck design and human factors, said the participants analyzed more than 730 incidents, 26 accidents and some 9,100 flights word- wide between 2001 and 2009. The study found, among other things, that manual flying errors contributed to about 60% of selected accidents and 30% of selected incidents perused by the team. Those statistics "got our interest, as you can imagine," Ms. Abbott said. The errors included inappropriate control inputs by pilots and incorrect responses when trying to recover from aircraft upsets. Thursday's report summary was long awaited by regulators and airline officials, because it is a way to understand and highlight the hazards of excessive pilot dependence on automation. The group of experts, including aircraft manufacturing executives and pilot-union representatives, isn't expected to release the final document until next year. But already, the preliminary conclusions are pinpointing problems some pilots have in properly recognizing when autopilots should be engaged or disconnected in certain types of emergencies. Focusing too much on manipulating flight-control computers, according to Ms. Abbott, often "distracts from managing the flight path of the airplane." The study is intended to update an influential 1996 FAA-sponsored examination of the benefits and drawbacks of cockpit automation. But because automated flight-management systems, navigation aids and autopilots have progressed so dramatically since the 1990's, the latest study is widely expected to set a benchmark. Other groups and organizations are looking to conduct follow-up research based on its findings. One cross-cutting theme spelled out in the report, according to Ms. Abbott, is that "pilots sometimes abdicate too much responsibility to the automated systems." Part of the reason, she said, are persistent messages pilots receive from airline management and trainers stressing that "automated systems can do the job better than they can." The study also found that in some cases, pilots don't get adequate opportunities to practice hand-flying skills and therefore often don't feel comfortable grabbing control away from sophisticated flight-deck computers in an emergency. Back to Top Unions: Safety bar set lower for cargo planes By Alan Levin, USA TODAY The nation's air cargo planes fly under significantly lower standards for security and safety than passenger jets, creating risks highlighted by last week's bombing attempt on cargo flights, union groups charge. Cargo flights could be more vulnerable than passenger jets because the industry is exempt from numerous safety standards, according to several unions representing the majority of cargo pilots. Cargo airlines acknowledge they operate under different standards, but say that they are every bit as safe as passenger airlines. After the Oct. 28 discovery of two sophisticated bombs shipped by FedEx and UPS, lawmakers and others say that packages on cargo flights receive much less screening compared with cargo on passenger flights and called for tighter standards. The bombs, discovered in England and Dubai, were disarmed before they could explode. T he unions representing more than 20 cargo carriers say that the shortfalls in security and safety go much further than screening. "We've long been concerned that our pilots have identified risks in the cargo world that have not been adequately addressed," said Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). "I think you have a recipe for exploitation." ALPA, the Teamsters, which represents pilots at 10 cargo airlines, and the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, which includes UPS' pilot union in its membership, report that: · Some workers at cargo terminals are subject to less rigorous background checks than employees in passenger terminals. Ground workers must receive a background check, but not fingerprinting and a 10-year criminal history check. · The vast majority of cargo jets do not have to have hardened cockpit doors required in passenger jets to protect against hijackers. · The anti-terror training required for passenger airline pilots in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is not required for cargo pilots. There are also stark differences in safety standards between passenger airlines and cargo carriers, the unions say. For example, cargo airlines are allowed to carry large shipments of lithium batteries, which have been banned on passenger flights. The batteries, which are not regulated as hazardous material, are being investigated as a possible cause in the Sept. 3 crash of a UPS Boeing 747 in Dubai. Steve Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, said that although different rules may apply to cargo haulers, that does not equate to a lower standard of safety or security. "Bad safety, bad security is simply bad business," Alterman said. T he Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates cargo airline safety, said it has taken steps recently to tighten safety. In September, it proposed restrictions aimed at reducing pilot fatigue for both cargo and passenger airlines. Back to Top Back to Top Gulfstream International files for bankruptcy Gulfstream International Group and its Gulfstream International Airlines, an itty-bitty carrier that operates itty-bitty airplanes, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday in federal bankruptcy court. The airline said service is uninterrupted and all tickets and reservations are being honored. Gulfstream flies 19-seat turboprop airplanes on more than 150 daily flights to 18 cities in Florida and the Bahamas. It also flies to six airports out of Cleveland under the government's essential air service program - Lewisburg and Parkersburg, W.Va.; Jamestown, N.Y., and Bradford, Franklin and Dubois, Penn. Gulfstream president and CEO David Hackett blamed debt that the company had piled up to stay alive in recent years: "While we have seen strong year-over-year improvements, the impact of our borrowing in the last several years to cope with consistently high fuel costs and the economic impact of declining traffic made it too difficult for the company to continue to meet its debt repayment needs. "Essentially, the company needed additional financing and investment in order to continue to meet debt requirements and fund current operations. Gulfstream received strong interest from a number of investment sources; however, all of them noted the need to restructure the balance sheet through Chapter 11 prior to making those investments. "We are committed to maintaining business as usual, including the highest standards of safety and operational reliability. Gulfstream's employees are the best in the business and give their all every day. Our intent is to use the restructuring process to strengthen our company to ensure a great future for our employees." Gulfstream said Victory Park Capital Advisors has agreed to provide up to $5 million in DIP financing. "This represents the first step in securing the right long-term financing, which would allow us to acquire our fleet of aircraft, improve our cost structure and position us for future growth," Hackett said. http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/ Back to Top Qantas A380 landing: Airlines were warned in August over engine safety · Two airlines ground fleets after emergency Qantas landing · Europe's air safety watchdog issued safety alert in summer Firefighters spray the Qantas A380 Airbus which suffered massive engine failure early yesterday with 459 people on board. Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters Two airlines grounded their fleets of Airbus A380 superjumbos today following an emergency landing by a Qantas plane after one of its engines blew apart in mid-air, damaging a wing and showering debris on the ground below. It emerged tonight that in August Europe's air safety watchdog issued an alert about abnormal wear inside the British-made Rolls Royce engines used on the huge, double-decker double decker planes, though experts said it was too early to tell if the two were connected. Flight QF32 from London to Sydney had just taken off from a stopover in Singapore when the plane suffered what the Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, described as a "significant engine failure". Passengers described a loud bang and a flash of flame. They then saw part of the casing of engine apparently stripped away, and a small hole in the wing. Dozens of pieces of debris, believed to be from the engine, were found on the Indonesian island of Batam. "There were flames, yellow flames came out, and debris came off. You could see black things shooting through the smoke, like bits of debris," said passenger Rosemary Hegardy. While the plane, carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew, was able to circle to dump fuel before landing safely at Singapore's Changi airport shortly before midday local time, Qantas - famous, thanks to the film Rain Man, for its enviable safety record - announced it was grounding its A380s. Experts from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch flew to Singapore yesterday to help the inquiry. "We do take our safety reputation unbelievably seriously and we're not going to take risks with passenger safety," Joyce said. "As a precaution, we're suspending flights of the A380." Early this morning Singapore Airlines said its A380 services would continue as technical checks had been completed. Lufthansa was conducting checks without interrupting flights. Two other airlines that fly the A380 use other engines. The incident - the most serious safety scare involving the world's biggest airliner in its three years of service - is a particular worry for Rolls Royce, which makes the Trent 900 engines fitted to most A380s at its Derby factory. The company, which lost more than 5% of its share price today, said it was working with airlines to see what went wrong. It refused to discuss the directive issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency in August which warned that scrutiny of stripped Trent 900s had found that unusual wear on splines used to secure the turbines could lead to engine failure coupled with "oil migration and oil fire". http://www.guardian.co.uk/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC