Flight Safety Information December 24, 2010 - No. 263 In This Issue NTSB Reviews Standard Of Proof For Emergency Revocation Appeals ICAO Plans To Publish Document For Helicopter Flight Simulation Training Device FedEx flight lands safely in fuel emergency Flights Gather Jet-Engine Core Icing Data Air NZ cited in air safety report findings Hong Kong Aviation Department Probes Finnair Wrong Turn Incident UAE seeking aviation push NTSB Reviews Standard Of Proof For Emergency Revocation Appeals Seeks Public Comments On NPRM On Broad FAA Powers To Revoke The NTSB is seeking public comments on the standards its administrative law judges use in deciding whether to overturn emergency revocation of airman certificates by the FAA. Such revocations remove a certificate holder's privileges immediately, even during an appeal. In non-emergency revocations, the holder may continue exercising the privileges of the certificate while appealing the revocation. One subject on which the safety board seeks comment is the section under Part 821 of the regulations that states a judge weighing a request to reverse an emergency revocation "should assume that the acts and omissions alleged in the FAA's emergency order are true." Outside organizations have asked to have that language removed, the NTSB said in an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking issued Wednesday, December 22. The NTSB also seeks comment on the section of Part 821 that requires administrative law judges to ascertain whether the FAA's action "was appropriate under the circumstances, given the potential threat to aviation safety," rather than deciding whether the FAA emergency determination "was rationally supportable under an abuse-of- discretion standard." The NTSB acknowledged in the advanced notice that its standard, which dates to April 2003, represents "a substantive departure from the more stringent standard that had been generally accepted by the courts." FMI: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-12-22/html/2010-32056.htm Back to Top ICAO Plans To Publish Document For Helicopter Flight Simulation Training Device International Organization Has Previously Published A Similar Document For Fixed-Wing Aircraft Under the auspices of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), an International Working Group (IWG) has spent the last 4 years developing new criteria for the classification and qualification of civil helicopter Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs), based on pilot training tasks. The intention is for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to publish a new volume of the Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of FSTDs - Document 9625 dedicated to helicopters and its subsequent adoption by civil aviation authorities worldwide. The work takes advantage of a similar effort for fixed wing aircraft which has already been published by ICAO. The Helicopter IWG has expert international representation from the industry, including regulators, helicopter and simulator manufacturers, training organisations, helicopter operators and users. For the first time, helicopter simulation is being considered as a separate subject by ICAO. An analysis of pilot training tasks and licences forms the basis of the new device definitions, which represents a significant change in approach to existing processes, with one of the key aims of the work being to improve access to simulation across the helicopter industry and thus improve safety. The draft of Volume 2 of the new ICAO 9625 Edition 3 document is intended for submission to ICAO early in 2011. It is available on the Royal Aeronautical Society's website. Interested parties are encouraged to review the material and make comments using the website tool. The comment period will close on 20 January 2011. The ICAO says that the work of the Helicopter IWG is part of the largest harmonization effort ever attempted in the history of the flight simulation industry. It is anticipated that achieving an internationally accepted definition of helicopter FSTDs will have significant benefits across the industry. The organization contends that this should: Reduce and simplify the administrative burden for stakeholders. Permit a more consistent approach by simulator manufacturers. Provide a clear expression of the suitability of use of specific FSTDs for the training tasks associated with licences, ratings, checks, etc. for training organisations and operators. Improve the quality of training and reduce costs. FMI: www.raes-fsg.org.uk/outsiders/ Back to Top FedEx flight lands safely in fuel emergency SACRAMENTO-- (AP) A FedEx cargo jet has landed safely at Sacramento International Airport after running low on fuel. Airport spokeswoman Gina Swankie says the plane landed without incident just before 8 a.m. Thursday. The pilot declared an in-flight emergency aboard FedEx flight 1490 because of the low fuel level. The Airbus A310 jet had been en route from Memphis, Tenn., to Reno, Nev. Swankie says Reno was fogged in, so the plane and its four crew members diverted to Sacramento. Back to Top Flights Gather Jet-Engine Core Icing Data Flights to gather data on turbine-engine core icing at higher altitudes is to be conducted under a $7.4-million NASA contract awarded to Mojave, Calif.-based Flight Test Associates. The "high ice water content" flight campaign is prompted by power- loss events caused by engine core icing in convective weather above the altitudes normally associated with icing conditions. Core icing is caused by high concentrations of ice crystals lifted to higher altitudes by strong thunderstorm activity. The tiny crystals bounce off the cold airframe, but partially melt and adhere to warmer engine surfaces. Under its 30-month base contract, Flight Test Associates will conduct more the 200 hours of flight research using a modified Gulfstream II. An option could add 24 months to the contract and take its value to $10 million. The flights in core-icing conditions will gather data for NASA, Boeing and the FAA to define new parameters for developing and certifying engines, air-data systems and weather radars. The research will also support development of weather forecasting tools to help avoid icing conditions and ground-test facilities to simulate the high ice water content environment. NASA's Glenn Research Center says core icing is thought to have contributed to more than 100 jet-engine power loss events since 1989, leading to temporary shutdowns because of surge, stall or flameout. http://www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Air NZ cited in air safety report findings Air New Zealand and Christchurch air traffic control have been criticised in an air safety report into flights which experienced severe turbulence near the city. Two Air NZ flights from Christchurch to Wellington encountered severe turbulence on December 30 2009 and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has said both incidents were avoidable. The two ATR 72 aircraft experienced turbulence 35 minutes apart in about the same location, 90 kilometres from Christchurch. Recorded data showed the first plane, which had 65 passengers onboard, hit turbulence and plunged to below the minimum speed for flying in icy conditions. The report said the "stick-shaker", a device which vibrates to warn pilots of an approaching stall, was activated in the brief descent which exceeded 5500 feet per minute. No-one was injured but loose objects were thrown about the cockpit. The pilot broadcast an urgency call, known as a PAN, to the controller who misheard the transmission. Just over half an hour later a second ATR 72, with 66 passengers onboard, also hit the severe turbulence and plunged with the stick- shaker indicating a near-stall in power. No one was injured on the flight. After landing in Wellington the pilot reported the extreme turbulence and described it as the worst he had experienced in 40 years of flying. The report said the events did not result in any injury because the pilots had anticipated moderate turbulence and passengers and crew had been told to remain seated. Although there were no injuries or damage to the aeroplanes from either of the incidents, TAIC investigated how effectively severe weather information was communicated between the air traffic controller and the flight crew. The report found that if the crews had been made aware of the hazardous weather warnings the severe turbulence would have been avoidable. ''They might have been prompted to revise their flight plans and might have avoided or reduced the severity of the turbulence encounters,'' the report said. TAIC said the operator needed a ''more robust flight dispatch system'' and that air traffic controllers needed to pass flight information on, including weather warnings, to crews before departure. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4490474/Air-NZ-cited-in-air-safety- report-findings Back to Top Hong Kong Aviation Department Probes Finnair Wrong Turn Incident Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said it's investigating an error by an aircraft operated by Finnair Oyj at Hong Kong International Airport last month. The aircraft, bound for Helsinki, attempted to takeoff after making a wrong turn onto a taxiway on Nov. 27, according to a government statement. No one was hurt, the statement said. Back to Top UAE seeking aviation push DUBAI: The UAE will invest $136 billion in its aviation industry over the next 10 years in an ongoing bid to diversify its economy, the economy minister said. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri said the UAE wanted to capitalise on its transport and communications infrastructure. He said air traffic increased 11.5 per cent in the UAE in the first half of the year. "Over the next 10 years, the UAE will be investing 500bn dirhams ($136.1bn) in its aviation infrastructure improving connectivity and cementing our reputation as a key growth driver in global aviation," he said. The Gulf country is home to Dubai's Emirates airline, the largest customer for the Airbus A380 superjumbo, as well as Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways and Sharjah's Air Arabia. Last year, Boeing and Abu Dhabi's government-owned investment firm Mubadala signed an aerospace pact to help the Gulf Arab emirate launch its fledgling aerospace industry. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=294575 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC