Flight Safety Information December 16, 2010 - No. 257 In This Issue 22 dead in Nepal plane crash US May Consider Requiring Child Restraints On Airplanes Southwest to begin flying 737-800s in March 2012 Missing plane found crashed in eastern Nepal... Sioux City airplane hangar damaged by fire OSHA cites FAA control tower at Lahm Airport for 13 violations US federal advisory committee submits recommendations to DOT Peru and Mexico agree to air services expansion Ramp errors take down three SkyWest CRJs in November 22 dead in Nepal plane crash Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- A DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft that went missing en route from Lamidanda to Kathmandu in eastern Nepal crashed in a mountainous area east of the capital, killing all 22 people aboard, an airport spokesman said Thursday. "The aircraft seems to have hit a mountainside," Purusottam Shakya, operations supervisor at Tribhuwan International Airport, which serves Kathmandu, told CNN. The plane disappeared Wednesday, and search and rescue teams looked for it until night fell. A search team in a helicopter found pieces of the aircraft Thursday morning about 150 kilometers east of Kathmandu, said Shakya. Lamidanda is about 200 kilometers east of Kathmandu. Shakya said the plane carried 18 passengers -- including one U.S. national -- and three Nepalese crew members. The other 17 passengers were Nepalese. In August, 14 people were killed when a plane crashed in central Nepal. Back to Top US May Consider Requiring Child Restraints On Airplanes -FAA Chief WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Federal Aviation Administration chief said Wednesday he may look into whether to require child restraints on commercial airplanes as his agency moves to improve overall airline safety. Child seat restraints have been recommended by safety advocates and government transportation-safety investigators to reduce in-flight hazards involving children younger than age 2. But a possible mandate has in the past provoked concerns that parents turned off by the idea would choose travel by car over air travel, hurting airline business. Wednesday, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said he would revisit the issue of whether to require restraints on planes after an aviation task force highlighted the issue. Saying his agency will spend coming months studying how to improve child-passenger safety, Babbitt said a rule requiring restraints is a "possible option." Back to Top Southwest to begin flying 737-800s in March 2012 The first Boeing 737-800 aircraft for Southwest Airlines will arrive in March 2012. The Dallas-based airline, which had said this month that it planned to purchase the larger aircraft, announced Wednesday that it will swap 20 of its 737-700 orders for the 800 models. "The 800 represents many exciting opportunities for our employees and customers," CEO Gary Kelly said. "We are looking to the future, and the 800 sets the stage to bring more destinations into the realm of possibilities for Southwest, to operate a more economical aircraft and to offer better scheduling flexibility in high-demand, slot- controlled or gate-restricted markets." Southwest has 70 orders for 737-700s over the next three years and said it will keep working with Boeing about possible future substitutions of the 737-800. Southwest has said it could use the 737-800, which has 175 seats, to fly more passengers in and out of some of its slot-restricted airports, such as New York's LaGuardia. The airline will also be able to fly to more distant destinations, such as Hawaii or overseas. Last month, the pilots and flight attendants unions ratified new contracts that would allow Southwest to operate the 737-800. Kelly also expressed his desire for Boeing to decide whether to put a new engine on the 737 series. He said he does not want to wait a decade for Boeing to develop a new narrow-body plane that is more fuel-efficient. "When you talk about something that's 10 years from now, that's not a solution, that's an idea," Kelly said. "Who among us is to say it won't be 15 years from now? In the meantime, we're going to spend $40 billion on fuel." Separately, Southwest announced additional flights from Liberty Airport in Newark, N.J., even though its service there has not yet begun. It will add flights to Baltimore, Denver, Phoenix and Houston's Hobby Airport on June 5, giving Southwest 18 daily flights out of Newark. Those will join flights to St. Louis and Chicago's Midway Airport that begin in March. Southwest obtained the Newark slots as part of a lease deal with United Continental Holdings that allowed United Airlines and Continental Airlines to receive government approval for their merger. www.star-telegram.com Back to Top Missing plane found crashed in eastern Nepal KATHMANDU, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Tara Air aircraft that went out of contact immediately after take-off from Lamidanda on Wednesday afternoon has been found crashed at the Gauriban of Okhaldunga district at a forest area in eastern Nepal, said an army spokesman on Thursday. The aircraft was found broken into pieces and the authorities feared all the 22 people aboard, including three crew members, are dead. Nepal Army and police are on the way for rescue operation. Back to Top Sioux City airplane hangar damaged by fire SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Officials say a worker using a torch to melt ice off a door track sparked a fire at an airplane hangar in Sioux City. Authorities say the fire started about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at Jet-Sun Aviation. KTIV-TV says when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out of an exterior wall. There was no one inside the hangar, which had smoke and fire damage. Seven small planes inside were not damaged. Back to Top OSHA cites FAA control tower at Lahm Airport for 13 violations MANSFIELD - The Federal Aviation Administration-operated control tower at Mansfield- Lahm Regional Airport has been cited for 13 safety violations. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the ruling on Wednesday afternoon. The notices of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions were issued as a result of a June 15 inspection of the control tower. One serious notice, for failing to provide a diagram of designated emergency egress routes in the tower, was given. Five repeat violations and seven violations of lesser seriousness also were issued. "The FAA failed to property ensure this facility is in compliance with established safety procedures and to train workers for emergency actions," said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo. http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20101215/UPDATES01/101215015 Back to Top US federal advisory committee submits recommendations to DOT A US federal advisory committee tasked with addressing challenges faced by the aviation industry has submitted its recommendations to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC), comprising a cross section of aviation stakeholders - airlines, airports, manufacturers, labour, academia, finance, consumer interests and general aviation - presented 23 recommendations to LaHood on how to ensure the strength, competitiveness and safety of aviation. Among the recommendations are proposals that the federal government assist in funding NextGen equipage on aircraft, ensure greater transparency for consumers in airline pricing, expand the sources of safety data available to the FAA, and ensure that global airline alliances enhance the viability and competitiveness of the US aviation industry. Other specific recommendations include: developing improved methods of predicting safety risks; incorporating safety standards into planning for NextGen, the FAA's overhaul of the national airspace system; improving links between airports and other forms of transportation; enhancing science and technology training for the future and current aviation workforce; and ensuring that aircraft operators are able to realize the benefits of NextGen as quickly as possible. Additionally, the FAAC recommends reducing aviation's impact on the environment through use of sustainable fuels and improved aircraft technology, as well as accelerating the use of NextGen equipment to promote greater efficiency. "This committee has provided a valuable service to all members of the aviation community with this blueprint for the industry," says LaHood in a statement. "As we move forward, these recommendations will provide valuable guidance for making the world's greatest aviation system even greater. I thank the members of the committee for their hard work and dedication, and I look forward to thoroughly reviewing the recommendations." US airline lobbying group the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) has applauded the FAAC's recommendations. "These important recommendations will help the US airline industry continue its economic recovery and remain a world leader. We look forward to working with the administration and the 112th Congress to ensure that the FAAC recommendations are implemented expeditiously," says the ATA. The DOT says it will review the recommendations and develop a plan for their implementation. Members of the FAAC will be invited to attend periodic briefings to update the department on the progress in implementing their recommendations. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Peru and Mexico agree to air services expansion Peru and Mexico have agreed to expand their bilateral air accord to include a significant number of new frequencies available for airlines from both countries, as well as new city pairs. The Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications has confirmed that the number of frequencies for flights between both countries will be increased from 13 to 56 weekly frequencies for each side. The agreement also includes a number of new cities to which flights between both countries can be operated in addition to Lima and Mexico City, namely Toluca and Cancun in Mexico and Cusco and Arequipa in Peru, although a ministry source says that the "spirit of the agreement" calls for authorising "any route" between both countries. Any carrier of either country can use the available frequencies and both sides have committed to speed up the administrative authorisation process. Additionally, the agreement introduces the full liberalisation of air cargo services and gives full fifth freedom rights for flights with origin and/or destination within Latin America. Currently Aeromexico, Lan Peru and Taca Peru offer flights from Lima to Mexico City. Taca has already said that it plans to grow its four weekly frequencies between Lima and Mexico operated with Airbus A319s to daily flights while Lan and Aeromexico, which are operating Boeing 767 and Boeing 737-800 equipment, respectively, have yet to announce their plans for the route. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Ramp errors take down three SkyWest CRJs in November In the month of November, SkyWest Airlines sustained substantial damage to three of its Bombardier CRJ aircraft, all of which were caused by ground handling incidents, and two of which occurred on the same day. The most recent was a 23 November incident at the Salt Lake City International airport where a combination of an icy tarmac and an inoperative auxiliary power unit may have contributed to an incident that damaged a SkyWest Airlines CRJ700. According to a preliminary report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), N614SK sustained "substantial damage to the lower fuselage structure and multiple belly stringers" by a tug being used for a pushback. Delta Connection flight 4543 was scheduled to depart for Oklahoma City with 69 passengers and crew, none of whom were injured in the night time incident. Flight and ground crew statements indicate that the first attempt to push the aircraft back from the gate was unsuccessful as the tug could not gain enough traction. NTSB notes that there was 1 inch of "ice and snow" covering the ground in the ramp area, and that both of the aircraft's engines were operating at the time because the onboard auxiliary power unit was inoperative. Ground crews brought in a larger tug which was successful in moving the airplane, "however, during the push-back both the airplane and the tug began to slip", says the NTSB. "The tug continued to lose traction and subsequently 'jack-knifed,' breaking its tow-bar and colliding with the underside of the airplane's fuselage," the report states. On 2 November a driverless pickup truck being operated by United Airlines ground crews caused damage to a SkyWest CRJ200 at the Chicago O'Hare international airport. According to the NTSB's preliminary report, Flight 1020 (N709BR), with 34 passengers and three crew bound for Moline, Illinois, had pushed back from the gate at 10:27 am CDT and moved out of the immediate area to allow an inbound aircraft to access the gate when the incident occurred. There were no injuries. "As the airplane began to move the flight crew saw the pickup truck moving on the ramp, so they stopped the airplane," says the NTSB. "The Ford Ranger pickup truck backed into the left side of the nose of the plane." The driver told the NTSB that he had left the vehicle on the ramp with the engine running. "When he returned to where he left the vehicle, it was gone," the driver told investigators. Also on 2 November a SkyWest CRJ200 (N454SW) on the ground at the Pittsburgh international airport received significant damage to its fuselage when a ramp agent drove a cart supplying the aircraft with high pressure ground air away from the aircraft without disconnecting the hose. According to an NTSB report, the error tore the high pressure ground air receptacle from its access door and ripped an 0.3m (1ft) gash "up the side of the fuselage". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC