Flight Safety Information November 26, 2010 - No. 243 In This Issue Search to resume for Air France 447 FedEx searching for missing radioactive package Antonov 32B Accident (Mexico)... Private jet makes emergency landing in Appleton Airbus Maintains Its A380 Delivery Goal as Carriers Scramble for Turbines Thomson jet overshoots runway at Newcastle Airport Air passenger arriving at MIA experienced cholera symptoms during flight India, US to sign aviation safety agreement White's operations scrutinised by EU safety committee EASA to assist with resolving safety issues at Air Algerie AFRAA safety director becomes new secretary general Search to resume for Air France 447 The flight crashed June 1, 2009 in the Atlantic Ocean All 228 people aboard were killed Investigators still don't know what caused the crash Paris, France (CNN) -- A new operation will begin next year to find the debris of Air France Flight 447, which mysteriously crashed into the southern Atlantic Ocean last year, French officials said. The search will begin in February and will be the fourth search for debris from the Airbus A330-200, which crashed while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009. All 228 people on board were killed. Investigators have not yet established what caused the crash, and large parts of the plane -- including both flight recorders -- have never been found, despite an extensive search operation that included a French navy submarine. France's air accident investigation agency, the BEA, will give details of the searches that will take place in the coming weeks in a meeting with families of the victims, the French Transport Ministry said. 2009: What caused Air France crash? The Air France plane went down in stormy weather, and most of the bodies were never recovered. The plane's flight data recorder remains missing in the ocean, according to Air France. Studies of the debris and bodies that were found led the BEA to conclude the plane hit the water belly first, essentially intact. Oxygen masks were not deployed, indicating that the cabin did not depressurize, the BEA revealed in a report last year. Automated messages sent from the plane in the minutes before the crash showed there were problems measuring air speed, the investigators said, though they said that alone was not enough to cause the disaster. The area where the plane went down is far out in the Atlantic -- two to four days for ships to reach from the nearest ports in Brazil or Senegal in west Africa. The underwater terrain is rough with underwater mountains and valleys, the BEA said. Back to Top FedEx searching for missing radioactive package Company says package may be in Tennessee It is safe as long as people do not tamper with packaging, company says (CNN) -- FedEx could learn Friday what happened to a package containing radioactive materials that went missing a day before. The company said it is searching in the Tennessee area and that the item is safe as long as nobody tampers with the protective packaging around it. The item is a cylinder containing rods used for hospital machinery that were being sent to a person in Knoxville, Tennessee, said Sandra Munoz, a company spokeswoman. "The rods are used for quality control calibration," Munoz said. "We have lots of experience in handling this kind of shipment." Munoz said the company may learn more Friday morning when two employees who handled the shipment return to work. Back to Top Antonov 32B Accident (Mexico) Status: Preliminary Date: 24 NOV 2010 Time: 14:36 Type: Antonov 32B Operator: Fuerza Aérea Mexicana Registration: FAM-3101 C/n / msn: 3306 First flight: 1993 Engines: 2 Ivchenko AI-20 Crew: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Monterrey-General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY) (Mexico) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Military Departure airport: Monterrey-General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY) (MTY/MMMY), Mexico Destination airport: Santa Lucia AB (MMSM), Mexico Narrative: An Antonov 32B transport plane, serial FAM-3101, was damaged beyond repair in a take-off accident at Monterrey-General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY), Mexico. All five crew members were killed. The airplane operated on a logistics flight to Santa Lucia AB. The airplane took off from runway 11, and crashed to the right side of runway 16/34 near the VIP Terminal B, narrowly missing two parked biz jets. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Private jet makes emergency landing in Appleton -- A private jet with a family-of-six made an emergency landing near Appleton on Thanksgiving, after the pilot noticed a problem with the landing gear. APPLETON, Wisconsin- A private jet with a family-of-six made an emergency landing near Appleton on Thanksgiving, after the pilot noticed a problem with the landing gear. Fire departments throughout the area responded to the Outagamie County Regional Airport before the Hawker-800 landed. Officials said the plane was heading to Eau Claire from Cincinnati - but the pilot decided to use Appleton's repair facilities after noticing the problem. The airport's Kim Sippola said the landing gear could not drop into place the first time the pilot passed the control tower. But emergency procedures eventually worked. http://www.piercecountyherald.com/ Back to Top Airbus Maintains Its A380 Delivery Goal as Carriers Scramble for Turbines Airbus SAS can maintain its delivery schedule for the A380 superjumbo this year and next, even as carriers flying the jet scramble to switch some engines after a blowout this month, Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said. Airbus wants to deliver two aircraft on average to customers in 2011, and the schedule of handing over about 20 A380s this year also stands, Enders said in an interview at a conference in Berlin today. The executive said Airbus can probably sell as many as 800 of the world's largest aircraft over the program's lifespan of about half a century. "Any difficulties at the start of production are a sad thing, but we expect the A380 to be a plane to be built for 40 or 50 years to come," Enders said. "I firmly expect we can sell 700 or 800 of it over time, maybe even more." The A380 program has come under pressure after a Rolls- Royce Group Plc engine powering a Qantas Airways Ltd. double- decker blew up on Nov. 4. Carriers using the turbines have switched some power plants, forcing Airbus to dip into its assembly line for spares and potentially disrupting output. Enders said deliveries in the first half may need some adjusting, as Airbus juggles its output plan with carriers' needs for replacement Trent 900 engines. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, with the youngest fleet among the A380 operators, has changed two engines on its A380s, and Singapore Airlines Ltd, the first carrier to fly the aircraft in 2007, has also switched some engines, as has Qantas. The A380, which typically seats more than 500 passengers, has burdened Airbus for years. Deliveries remained behind target prior to 2010 as faulty designs in the initial production phase and airlines' requests for custom interiors slowed production. Airbus wants to hand over 20 A380s in 2010, double the amount from 2009. http://www.bloomberg.com/ Back to Top Thomson jet overshoots runway at Newcastle Airport Passengers escaped unharmed when a Thomson Airways aircraft overshot the runway at Newcastle airport in bad weather last night. The Boeing 737-800 with 188 passengers arriving from Arrecife in the Canary Islands "had gone very slightly off the runway," according to local fire service reports. All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and the airport was temporarily closed while the aircraft was moved. An airport spokesman said the aircraft was undamaged. A statement on the airport's website said passengers should arrive at the airport as normal on Friday but contact their airline with any concerns. A number of early morning flights today were cancelled. The statement said: "Newcastle International Airport is open and flights are arriving and departing. "The bad weather resulted in some disruption at times during Thursday and services may continue to be affected. "Passengers due to travel from the airport should still arrive as planned. We would recommend you account for the extra time it will take to reach the airport when planning your journey. "If you have concerns about the status of your flight, please contact your airline." Up to six inches of snow had fallen on Newcastle over the previous 24 hours as UK experienced its earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years. The Air Accident Investigation Branch will start an inquiry into the incident. http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/ Back to Top Air passenger arriving at MIA experienced cholera symptoms during flight American Airlines officials on Friday confirmed a passenger arriving at Miami International Airport Thanksgiving night appeared to be suffering from cholera and experienced symptoms during the flight. The man, whose name was not released, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight #778 from Santo Domingo to Miami, not directly from neighboring Haiti, where an outbreak of cholera in recent weeks has killed hundreds of people. The Boeing 767-300 arrived in Miami at around 6 p.m. on Thursday. ``Before landing, the crew radioed down and advised they had a passenger onboard who had symptom that appeared to be cholera and he would need immediate medical attention the minute they landed,'' said Tim Smith, spokesman for American Airlines in Fort Worth, Tx. Emergency workers at MIA were waiting for the flight. The man was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The carrier immediately notified the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Smith said. Other passengers on the flight should not be affected. In some situations cholera is contagious and can be-fatal. The disease is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine which causes severe dehydration. Smith said the plane involved was taken out of circulation immediately and ``thoroughly cleaned.'' The plane returned to service Friday morning. Passengers from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are being scrutinized due to the spreading disease. Smith said if the passenger had appeared ill at boarding he would not have been allowed on the Miami-bound flight, which takes about two-hours. ``He became ill in some fashion during the flight,'' Smith said. A doctor onboard the flight assisted the sick man, Smith said. He could not confirm if the passenger affected was also a medical professional who had been working in Haiti, as sources told the Miami Herald. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said Thursday night that she could not confirm a suspected case of cholera in Miami. Neither could Rob Hayes, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee. If the cholera case were to be confirmed, it would be the first documented in Miami- Dade County and possibly the third in Florida. Earlier this month, a Collier County woman who had returned from Haiti was found to be suffering from the disease. She has recovered. A second case is suspected but has not been officially confirmed by health officials. http://www.miamiherald.com/ Back to Top India, US to sign aviation safety agreement New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) The country's aerospace segment is poised to grow with India and the US set to sign the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) that would usher in mutual acceptance of aeronautical products and parts developed in either country, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Thursday said. 'The agreement would be signed within next 6-8 weeks, whereby the aerospace products could be inspected and certified by DGCA and the products could be then exported,' said Nasim Zaidi, Director General of Civil Aviation, DGCA. According to Zaidi, the country's aeronautical products industry is fast growing as more design and manufacturing is being shifted to India and it will reap the benefits of the agreement. Earlier, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a 'Shadow Certification' exercise with DGCA officials on a sample product, where it was found that the Indian standard certification procedures are acceptable for high class aeronautical products. http://sify.com/ Back to Top White's operations scrutinised by EU safety committee Portuguese carrier White is being placed under closer scrutiny by the European Commission, after operational concerns were raised by safety inspectors. White was a former charter operation of TAP Portugal before it was divested four years ago. Documents detailing the revision of the Commission's airline blacklist state that "serious concerns" over the safety of operation and continuing airworthiness at White and another carrier, LuzAir, have been raised by Portuguese authorities. LuzAir's operations have previously been under the watch of the Commission. Oversight of both airlines is being increased, following discussions in October, to ensure timely implementation of corrective action plans. White's operations have undergone "some improvement", the document says, adding that the European Aviation Safety Agency is intending to conduct its own inspection in Portugal. Owned by Grupo Omni, White operates charter and wet-lease services with a fleet of six aircraft: two Airbus A310s and four A320-family jets. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top EASA to assist with resolving safety issues at Air Algerie Air Algerie has presented a corrective action plan to Europe's air safety committee in order to rectify operational deficiencies and avoid the risk of being blacklisted. Details released by the European Commission - which expressed concern over the carrier in July - state that inspections on Air Algerie's aircraft since September "raise some questions" about the quality of maintenance activities of the airline. There have also been "persistent" concerns relating to airworthiness, operations and safety of on-board cargo. But the Commission adds that the Algerian authorities have been committed to a "comprehensive root-cause analysis" of the problems, and that the regulator submitted an action plan on 20 October. Air Algerie presented a further, enhanced plan to the air safety committee on 10 November and the committee says the airline has been making progress towards resolving deficiencies. In order to help the carrier, says the Commission, the European Aviation Safety Agency is to lead a technical assistance mission in February next year. Air safety committee representatives are to re-assess Air Algerie at their next meeting. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top AFRAA safety director becomes new secretary general African Airlines Association director for safety Elijah Chingosho has been promoted to head the organisation as secretary general, replacing Tewodros Tamrat who had been steering the association as acting chief since June. After retiring from the air force, he worked for a Harare-based marketing firm, leaving in April 1999 to become Air Zimbabwe general manager for engineering. The new secretary general has been appointed for a five-year term, which will formally begin in January. In the meantime acting chief Tamrat will continue to lead AFRAA while Chingosho prepares a new strategic plan, including performance indicators. Speaking after his appointment at the AFRAA general assembly in Addis Ababa, Chingosho said: "The mandate is clear - they want me to start working today. I love African aviation. I think its best days lie ahead and among my tasks is to chart a new direction so we can reach those new days. "This is going to be hard and difficult work. However, I have the energy and zeal to create a strong organisation that the African aviation industry needs and deserves." Prior to Chingosho's being named, outgoing AFRAA president Girma Wake said: "You know what we have got wrong in the past. We want you to get it right from the beginning. "Wearing a swimsuit does not make one a swimmer. Being given the title of secretary general does not make you a secretary general. What makes a secretary general is action, so get in and act." Wake also called on the secretariat to shift its policy and "run AFRAA as a business", giving the secretary general more power to act as a chief executive. "We have to have unity in AFRAA," says Wake. "We want to see AFRAA move forward with confidence. Whatever problems we have had in the past were to do with unity. We hope to solve the problems within us." Chingosho says his top priorities are safety, creating greater unity within AFRAA, strengthening supplier partnerships, improving communication between members and helping African airlines get a greater proportion of intercontinental traffic, where foreign carriers have 80% market share. Royal Air Maroc chief Driss Benhima was named as AFRAA president for 2011, while EgyptAir chairman Hussein Massoud will chair the association for the coming year. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC