Flight Safety Information December 20, 2010 - No. 259 In This Issue Jet plane crashes near Swiss ski resort Midair accident rise prompts review (New Zealand Qatar stands by 787 Dreamliner Airplane Cargo Holds Can Be Too Hot for Li-Ion Today in History Jet plane crashes near Swiss ski resort From correspondents in St Moritz, Switzerland From: AFP December 20, 2010 7:14AM TWO people were killed today when their small plane arriving from Croatia crashed and caught fire while coming in to land near Switzerland's chic St Moritz ski resort, police said. "The two people on board have died," Grisons canton police spokesman Sandro Pensa said. The Premiere 1 plane had flown in from Zagreb and had difficulty landing at Samedan airport, he said, adding that the cause of the accident was being investigated. In a statement, police said the plane dropped from the sky as it was preparing for a second attempt to land after failing the first time. As it fell, it cut through three electric cables and then crashed close to an electricity transformer station near the village of Bever, bursting into flames. Police had said earlier the aircraft crashed into the station itself. The accident caused power outages to several nearby villages. The weather had not been particularly bad at the time of the crash, although there was some snowfall, the spokesman said. Samedan is Europe's highest airport, at an altitude of 1707m, and is often used by people going to St Moritz. In February 2009 two private planes crashed while trying to land at the same airport. ****** Accident description Status: Preliminary Date: 19 DEC 2010 Time: ca 15:00 Type: Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier IA Operator: Windrose Air Jetcharter Registration: D-IAYL C/n / msn: RB-249 First flight: 2008 Engines: Williams FJ44-2A Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 1 km (0.6 mls) N of St. Moritz-Samedan Airport (SMV) (Switzerland) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Executive Departure airport: Zagreb-Pleso Airport (ZAG) (ZAG/LDZA), Croatia Destination airport: St. Moritz-Samedan Airport (SMV) (SMV/LSZS), Switzerland Narrative: A Premier IA corporate jet was destroyed when it crashed into a transformation station near St. Moritz-Samedan Airport (SMV) and burst into flames. Both crew members were killed. It's unclear wether the plane was on final approach to the airport or if it was performing a missed approach procedure. Weather reported at 14:40 local time: LSZS 191340Z 20008KT 170V230 3000 -SN BR FEW025 BKN040 M06/M10 Q1002 NOSIG= [13:40 UTC: Wind 200 degrees at 8 knots direction varying 170-230 degrees; Visibility 3000m; light snow, mist; few clouds at 2,500 feet, broken clouds 4,000 feet;Temperature -6°C, Dew point -10°C, 1002 hPa] www.aviation-safety.net *********** Back to Top Midair accident rise prompts review (New Zealand) A huge increase over the past decade in the number of midair collisions and near misses, nearly half involving trainee pilots, has sparked an inquiry into whether there could be widespread problems with flight training. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is calling for public submissions on flying training as it examines civil flying training safety, and the fatal midair collision near Feilding, which killed Palmerston North flight instructor Jessica Neeson, 27 and Waikanae trainee pilot Patricia Smallman, 64, in July. Civil Aviation figures show the reported number of near misses has increased significantly in the past five years, but the number involving trainee pilots has been more pronounced. Between 1990 and 1999 there were 17 reported near misses, with just three involving training aircraft. Since 2000 the number of reports of near misses had skyrocketed to 131, 60 of them involving training flights. Recorded pilot training hours have doubled in the last 15 years to nearly 300,000 hours a year. "The commission has become concerned that systemic or widespread matters may be affecting civil flying training safety," said its chief investigator of accidents Tim Burfoot. "It has decided to invite public submissions alongside current investigations to help determine whether its concern is substantiated or not." Associate Transport Minister Nathan Guy today welcomed the commission's review and said the Government would consider any recommendations. "Aviation is a highly regulated industry and New Zealand has a good safety record in this area. "However, given the rapid growth in flight training in recent years the time is right for a broad look at how we safely train pilots," he said. New Zealand had become an increasingly popular destination for flight training, particularly with foreign students, he said. In the past 15 years recorded pilot training hours had doubled to nearly 300,000 per year. "New Zealand offers wonderful aviation training opportunities and we need to protect our good safety reputation, both domestically and internationally," he said. Submissions close on February 21 and the commission hopes to complete its inquiry by the end of September. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4477166/Midair-accident-rise- prompts-review Back to Top Qatar stands by 787 Dreamliner Worth waiting for: Qatar Airways is confident it will receive its first 787 Dreamliner by the end of next year. Qatar Airways says it is confident Boeing will avoid further hold-ups in its 787 Dreamliner programme despite three years of frustrating delays for customers. Akbar al Baker, the chief executive, said on Saturday he was confident the carrier would receive its first 787 by the end of next year. Although the Dreamliner programme has suffered delays stretching back to 2007, Boeing has a total of 847 orders and is scheduled to deliver the first aircraft to ANA of Japan early next year. The Dreamliner's varied troubles have included problems with suppliers and even an onboard fire during a test flight last month. The 787 is the first commercial passenger aircraft to be more than 45 per cent made up of advanced composite materials. The number of orders for the jet, coming from 65 airlines, lessors and private owners, makes it one of the most successful new aircraft in history. Fifteen per cent of the orders are from Middle East operators including Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian. Qatar Airways, which has emerged as one of the most critical of Boeing's 787 customers, appears to be softening its impatience with Boeing. "We still have confidence in Boeing that it will deliver airplane as per contractual obligations," Mr al Baker said. "I don't think there will be another slip." However, he echoed previous warnings that Qatar Airways could ultimately cancel its orders for 30 aircraft and 30 options if the programme endured more setbacks. "If there keeps on being slippages, if there is another slip, then yes, we will have no alternative," he said. Mr al Baker's latest statement was sharply different from remarks he made last month, when he said Boeing's 787 programme had "very clearly failed", prompting Boeing officials to respond that Qatar should do "what's best for its fleet". Delays this year have led customers to cancel orders for 41 Dreamliners, but the US aircraft maker also continues to receive orders - 36 so far this year. Boeing had originally planned to deliver the first Dreamliner in May 2008, and Qatar Airways' first planes in summer this year. The delays have benefited aircraft programmes at Airbus, with an increase in orders for the in-service A330 and the in- development A350. http://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-tourism/qatar-stands-by- 787-dreamliner Back to Top Airplane Cargo Holds Can Be Too Hot for Li-Ion Could this limit what you take with you on holidays? The Transport Security Administration (TSA) has mandated since 2008 that no loose lithium ion batteries may be packed in with checked luggage. This means that all your spare batteries will be going in with your carry-on, which may not be a bad thing if your flight doesn't have any in-seat power. If you don't want to deal with the added shoulder weight, you'll have to pair the lithium ion battery with the device. (Read more about the rules here.) New findings brought to light by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) say that lithium ion batteries are sensitive to heat and can ignite in a hot environment. Of course, that is a characteristic of batteries in general, but the new research could lead to an even further more restrictive set of guidelines for what people can bring when flying. The FAA also acknowledged publicly that the UPS 747-400 plane that crashed in Dubai earlier this year was carrying a large quantity of lithium batteries. http://www.tomshardware.com/news/airplane-lithium-ion-li-ion- batteries,11443.html Back to Top Today in History Accident description Status: Final Date: 20 DEC 1995 Time: 21:38 Type: Boeing 757-223 Operator: American Airlines Registration: N651AA C/n / msn: 24609/390 First flight: 1991-08-12 (4 years 4 months) Total airframe hrs: 13782 Cycles: 4922 Engines: 2 Rolls Royce RB211-535E4B Crew: Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 Passengers: Fatalities: 152 / Occupants: 156 Total: Fatalities: 160 / Occupants: 164 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Buga (Colombia) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Miami International Airport, FL (MIA) (MIA/KMIA), United States of America Destination airport: Cali-Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport (CLO) (CLO/SKCL), Colombia Flightnumber: 965 Narrative: At about 18:34 EST, American Airlines Flight 965 took off from Miami for a flight to Cali. At 21:34, while descending to FL200, the crew contacted Cali Approach. The aircraft was 63nm out of Cali VOR (which is 8nm South of the airport)) at the time. Cali cleared the flight for a direct Cali VOR approach and report at Tulua VOR. Followed one minute later by a clearance for a straight in VOR DME approach to runway 19 (the Rozo 1 arrival). The crew then tried to select the Rozo NDB (Non Directional Beacon) on the Flight Management Computer (FMC). Because their Jeppesen approach plates showed 'R' as the code for Rozo, the crew selected this option. But 'R' in the FMC database meant Romeo. Romeo is a navaid 150nm from Rozo, but has the same frequency. The aircraft had just passed Tulua VOR when it started a turn to the left (towards Romeo). This turn caused some confusion in the cockpit since Rozo 1 was to be a straight in approach. 87 Seconds after commencing the turn, the crew activated Heading Select (HDG SEL), which disengaged LNAV and started a right turn. The left turn brought the B757 over mountainous terrain, so a Ground Proximity (GPWS) warning sounded. With increased engine power and nose-up the crew tried to climb. The spoilers were still activated however. The stick shaker then activated and the aircraft crashed into a mountain at about 8900 feet (Cali field elevation being 3153 feet). PROBABLE CAUSE: "Aeronautica Civil determines that the probable causes of this accident were: 1. The flight crew's failure to adequately plan and execute the approach to runway 19 at SKCL and their inadequate use of automation; 2. Failure of the flight crew to discontinue the approach into Cali, despite numerous cues alerting them of the inadvisability of continuing the approach; 3. The lack of situational awareness of the flight crew regarding vertical navigation, proximity to terrain, and the relative location of critical radio aids; 4. Failure of the flight crew to revert to basic radio navigation at the time when the FMS-assisted navigation became confusing and demanded an excessive workload in a critical phase of the flight. Contributing to the cause of the accident were: 1. The flight crew's ongoing efforts to expedite their approach and landing in order to avoid potential delays; 2. The flight crew's execution of the GPWS escape manoeuvre while the speed brakes remained deployed; 3. FMS logic that dropped all intermediate fixes from the display(s) in the event of execution of a direct routing; 4. FMS-generated navigational information that used a different naming convention from that published in navigational charts." Follow-up / safety actions: April 2000, American Airlines sued both Jeppesen (for furnishing AA with a database that hid a critical checkpoint) and Honeywell (that made the plane's flight management computer) over a December 1995 accident near Cali, Bogota. (AP) Events: Sources: » Aircraft Accident Report controlled flight into terrain American Airlines Flight 965 Boeing 757-223, N651AA near Cali, Colombia December 20, 1995 / Aeronautica Civil of the Republic of Colombia » Improvements needed in FMS Human Factors / R.N. Aarons, Business & Commercial Aviation Nov. 1996 (144, 146, 160) » Boeing 757 CFIT Accident at Cali, Colombia, Becomes Focus of Lessons Learned (Flight Safety Foundation - Flight Safety Digest, May- June 1998) Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com www.aviation-safety.net Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC