Flight Safety Information December 2, 2010 - No. 247 In This Issue FAA Raises Safety Rating For Mexico NTSB To Meet On 2008 Forest Service Helicopter Accident Exploding Qantas A380 engine had a 'potential defect', FAA Raises Safety Rating For Mexico Country Complies With ICAO Safety Standards Mexico complies with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based on the results of a November FAA review of Mexico's civil aviation authority, the agency announced Wednesday. Under the leadership of Secretary Juan Molinar and Director General Hector Gonzalez Weeks, Mexico has made significant progress and is now upgraded from the Category 2 safety rating the country received in July to Category 1. At Mexico's request, the FAA will continue to provide technical assistance to support and maintain the changes the civil aviation authority has made. A Category 1 rating means the country's civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority - equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters - is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, recordkeeping or inspection procedures. With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 2 rating, Mexican air carriers could not establish new service to the United States, but were allowed to maintain existing service. Now with the Category 1 rating, Mexican air carriers can again add flights and service to the United States. As part of the FAA's IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to fly to the United States and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations. Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance. FMI: www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/iasa/ Back to Top NTSB To Meet On 2008 Forest Service Helicopter Accident Contract Aircraft Went Down While Transporting Firefighting Personnel Near Weaverville, CA The NTSB will hold a public Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 0930 EST, at its Washington, DC headquarters. The only item on the agenda is discussion of an accident which occurred on August 5, 2008. a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter (N612AZ), impacted trees and terrain during the initial climb after takeoff, located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet in mountainous terrain near Weaverville, California. Impact forces and a post-crash fire destroyed the helicopter, which was being operated by the U.S. Forest Service as a public flight to transport firefighters and was contracted with Carson Helicopters, Inc. As a result of this accident, nine occupants were fatally injured and four were seriously injured. A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board's website. A summary of the Board's final report, which will include findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, will appear on the website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. The entire report will appear on the website several weeks later. FMI: www.ntsb.gov Back to Top Exploding Qantas A380 engine had a 'potential defect', air safety bureau reports THE Trent900 engine that exploded over Indonesia on the Qantas Airbus A380 QF32 flight from Singapore to Sydney had a potential manufacturing defect with an oil tube connection, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has reported. In a statement issued today, the ATSB said that its safety recommendation "identifies a potential manufacturing defect with an oil tube connection to the high-pressure (HP)/intermediate-pressure (IP) bearing structure of the Trent 900 engine installed in some A380 aircraft." The examination took place at the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, in the United Kingdom, and appears to provide a more definitive explanation for the engine failure that occurred on QF32. "The problem relates to the potential for misaligned oil pipe counter-boring, which could lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage and potential engine failure from an oil fire within the HP/IP bearing buffer space," the ATSB report said. "In response to the recommendation Rolls Royce, affected airlines and safety regulators are taking action to ensure the continued safe operation of A380 aircraft. "The action involves the close inspection of affected engines and the removal from service of any engine which displays the suspected counter-boring problem." Qantas issued a statement after discussions with the ATSB and Rolls-Royce saying it will conduct further, more detailed one-off inspections of Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines on its A380 aircraft. Both of Qantas' A380 aircraft will be inspected at the airline's jet base in Sydney this afternoon. The safety body is due to hold a media briefing tomorrow on the release of its preliminary factual investigation report into the QF32 occurrence. Qantas currently has two A380 aircraft in operational service, following the grounding of the fleet on November 4. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC