Flight Safety Information January 4, 2011 - No. 004 In This Issue Russian authorities unveil preliminary report on Tu-154 jet explosion 'FAA Safety Briefing' Celebrates 50 Years EASA May Offer Two Years Grace On Third-Country Registrations Airliner accident review 2010: 831 fatalities in 29 accidents Yemen airline safety measures developed Safety report criticises Air NZ, Christchurch Passenger removed from plane at Logan United Airlines flight diverts to Toronto Aviation Week Names United Continental CEO Jeff Smisek Person of the Year Aviation ministry to probe delay in installation of radar (Mumbai, India) Investigation finds safety issues with some Quest Diagnostics flights NTSB: No further action on American download blunder Russian authorities unveil preliminary report on Tu-154 jet explosion MOSCOW, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Investigation Committee has released a preliminary investigation report on last Saturday's plane explosion, saying technical failure or violation of fire safety rules could be the likely causes of the accident, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Monday. However, the Interfax news agency said violations of the operation rules and fire safety were the causes of the accident. According to the local media, the Investigation Committee will use DNA test to identify those killed in the explosion. On Jan. 1, a fire began in one of the engines of a Russian Tu- 154 passenger jet when the plane taxied for takeoff at the Siberian airport of Surgut. The fire then caused a powerful blast, killing at least three and injuring more than 40 others. Also on Monday, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), an intergovernmental organization authorized by the Commonwealth of Independence States (CIS), said all of the three engines of the aircraft were operating when the blast occurred. "The engines' conditions are being examined," the organization said on its official website. However, the work at the scene is complicated by low temperature, the IAC added. Back to Top 'FAA Safety Briefing' Celebrates 50 Years Anniversary Issue Looks Back At GA Safety Over Half A Century The latest issue of FAA Safety Briefing celebrates the publication's 50th anniversary by looking back on the state of general aviation (GA) safety and highlighting a half century of safety focus and progress. The magazine, initially called FAA Aviation News, was first published in January 1961, just three years after the creation of the FAA. Its purpose was "to acquaint readers with the policies and programs" of the FAA. While the look of the magazine has changed, the inaugural issue's core message of safety awareness and education has remained constant. Building on the tremendous safety strides the FAA and GA community have made to reduce fatal accidents, this issue of FAA Safety Briefing outlines the agency's plan to further reduce the fatal accident rate by reaching out to and working with the GA community. This issue also helps airmen recognize that managing risk is the foundation for safe flying from both a theoretical and practical sense. In "Building Blocks and Safety Circles," editor Susan Parson helps readers get their head around safety rules, safety realities, and the concept of safety risk management to build a barrier to accidents. The issue looks at "Safety from the Ground Up," providing pointers for ramp safety. And there is a guide to the "Small Cost, Big Benefits" of aircraft safety enhancements that can mean the difference between life and death in the event of an accident. FMI: www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/ Back to Top EASA May Offer Two Years Grace On Third-Country Registrations Bi-Lateral Negotiations May Soon Open On N-Register Aircraft Proposal Pilots and operators of aircraft on the N-register continue to be caught in between Europe and America as the two countries attempt to resolve trade issues, and the IAOPA says in its most recent newsletter that the future does not look promising. EASA's proposals to "hamstring" N-registered operators in Europe have been put back to 2014, and are now said to be subject to bilateral negotiations which may or may not produce a workable compromise - and the pilot's organization says the evidence of recent history indicates that no user-friendly solution is likely to be found. At its December meeting the EASA Comitology Committee postponed from 2012 to 2014 the adoption of EASA's proposals on third country licensing. In the meantime the committee hopes the matter can be dealt with by way of bilateral agreements between Europe and America. In fact the first bilateral - known as a BASA - is due in spring, although it makes no mention of licensing. The hope is that flight crew licensing agreements can be added later by way of amendments. AOPA's lobbying of members of the EASA Comitology Committee and European Commission indicated that while they were wary of the damage EASA's proposals would cause, they were more concerned about the ability of national aviation authorities to handle the change from national to EASA licences, and the introduction of new third-country rules at the same time might be too much to cope with. IAOPA Senior Vice President Martin Robinson says: "The difficulty when it comes to lobbying on these issues is that everyone agrees with you, but won't change position. Nobody claims there is a safety issue, everyone accepts that the economic damage will be substantial, yet the status quo is impossible to maintain." "Everyone says they want full reciprocity from the other side, while secretly trying to give less than they receive," he continued. "Full reciprocity would be great for general aviation as long as we had a sensible validation system; imagine if you had an FAA IR and the process for converting it to a European equivalent was simple and sensible. But how likely is that? At the root of the argument is government support for Boeing and Airbus, and everything from downline repair station charges to pilot licensing is governed by that. We are small cogs in a large intercontinental dispute, and bigger wheels are going to grind us up." FMI: www.iaopa.eu Back to Top Airliner accident review 2010: 831 fatalities in 29 accidents By Harro Ranter The Aviation Safety Network released the 2010 airliner accident statistics showing a total of 831 airliner accident fatalities, as a result of 29 fatal multi-engine airliner accidents. Over the year 2010 the Aviation Safety Network recorded a total of 29 fatal airliner accidents, resulting in 831 fatalities and 6 ground fatalities. The number of fatalities is higher than the ten-year average of 810 fatalities. On the other hand, 2010 was the 6th safest year since 1945, by number of fatal accidents. Of those 29 fatal accidents, 15 involved passenger flights, compared to eleven in 2009. Six out of 29 accident airplanes were operated by airlines on the E.U. "black list" as opposed to five out of 30 in 2009. In 2010 Africa showed marked decline in accidents: 17% of all fatal airliner accidents happened in Africa. Although this is still out of sync compared to the fact that the continent only accounts for approximately 3 percent of all world aircraft departures. The Aviation Safety Network is an independent organisation located in the Netherlands. Founded in 1996. It has the aim to provide everyone with a (professional) interest in aviation with up-to-date, complete and reliable authoritative information on airliner accidents and safety issues. ASN is an exclusive service of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF). The figures have been compiled using the airliner accident database of the Aviation Safety Network, the Internet leader in aviation safety information. The Aviation Safety Network uses information from authoritative and official sources like NTSB, ICAO etc. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Yemen airline safety measures developed - UAE official SANA'A, Jan. 03 (Saba) -Yemen's airports are developed and the check-in systems at them are similar to those in any developed country, a UAE official said Monday, as he concluded what he said was a productive visit to the country. Saif al Suwaidi, director general of the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said that on the few-day visit he inspected airline safety measures at Yemeni airports and "found them in accordance with world standards". "I was astonished by the remarkable progress in airline safety at Yemen's airport, such as Sana'a International Airport," he added. On the visit, I and the UAE accompanying delegation also inspected the types of training courses to prepare good staffs and equipment installed at airports to check in passengers and luggage including packages, he said. "Every thing is fine and all efforts Yemen is exerting to ensure air safety are applauded." At their talks, Yemen and the Untied Arab Emirates signed an agreement for resuming freight flights from Yemen into the Arab Gulf state, after a suspension triggered by the mail bombs which triggered global alert in October 2010. AQAP claimed responsibility for the packages, which also triggered review of air security worldwide. http://www.sabanews.net/en/news232357.htm Back to Top Safety report criticises Air NZ, Christchurch A report into flights which experienced turbulence near Christchurch has cited Air New Zealand and the city for questionable safety on the occasion. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report said the incident where two Air NZ ATR 72 aircraft encountered heavy turbulence was avoidable, Stuff reported. According to the TAIC on 30 December 2009 the two aircraft travelling 35 minutes apart experienced turbulence in the same area 90 kilometres from Christchurch. The report showed that as the plane hit turbulence and began flying at the minimum speed during icy weather, a device on board the aircraft, a 'stick shaker', notified the pilot of an approaching stall in power. The pilot then broadcasted an emergency call to the controller. Just after half an hour the second plane hit the turbulence and was warned of possible shut down of power. While no one was injured in both flights the report said the turbulence could have been avoided if the airline crews had been notified of the weather conditions. "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. The commission added that "the operator needed a more robust flight dispatch system" and airport operators needed to inform crews of weather condition prior to take off. http://www.etravelblackboard.com Back to Top Passenger removed from plane at Logan Man, 37, arrested and charged with disorderly conduct A 37-year-old Florida man was arrested yesterday after allegedly becoming unruly on a US Airways flight waiting to take off from Logan International Airport for the Washington, D.C., area, State Police said. Ognjen Milatovic was arraigned in East Boston District Court on charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with operation of an aircraft. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on March 15, the Suffolk district attorney's office said. Flight 2025 was waiting to depart from Gate 21, headed for Reagan National Airport. Milatovic, who had been visiting family in Hudson, allegedly would not comply with a flight attendant's instructions, refusing to take his seat and refusing to place his carry- on luggage into the overhead compartment, State Police said. One passenger also reported hearing a noise coming from a plastic bag that Milatovic was carrying when he finally put it in the overhead bin. Another passenger also reported that Milatovic made a furtive movement and a quick phone call, stating, "I have boarded.'' Troopers removed Milatovic from the plane. A State Police dog checked the plastic bag he had put in the overhead compartment and his other luggage. The dog's inspection had "negative results,'' State Police said. State Police spokesman David Procopio said there was "no indication'' that the case was terrorism-related. A search of the plastic bag uncovered a wallet, keys, a hat, a bagel with cream cheese, and other food items, he said. Procopio said troopers and the airplane's captain formed the opinion that Milatovic's actions caused unnecessary alarm to the passengers and interfered with the ability of the crew to operate the flight. The flight had 117 passengers and five crew members aboard, said Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella. The 8 a.m. flight left after 9:30 a.m. and arrived at Reagan just before 11 a.m., according to the US Airways website. Milatovic's lawyer, Michael Capone, didn't immediately return a message seeking comment. Milatovic's father, Boris, said his son's behavior was due to pain from a rare nerve problem. "It's very difficult for him to sit. He cannot sit down really for five minutes, 10 minutes maximum,'' Boris Milatovic, 68, said in a phone interview last night from his Hudson home. Boris Milatovic said his son, who has lived in Jacksonville, Fla. for the past eight years, called to say he was boarding the plane. Two hours later, he called from the police station to say he had been arrested, his father said. The elder Milatovic said his son told him that a flight attendant asked him to sit down, but he said he needed a few more minutes to stand. Boris Milatovic said he did not blame anyone on the flight for the arrest, but said his son posed no threat. "My son is the last person on the planet that will do something wrong,'' he said. http://www.boston.com Back to Top United Airlines flight diverts to Toronto Passengers will be taken back to Chicago, an airline spokesman says The flight was en route from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany Concerns over an electrical issue brought the plane to Toronto (CNN) -- A United Airlines flight was diverted to Toronto late Monday after the plane's communication system began to malfunction, an airline official said. Flight 940 never lost contact with air traffic control, according to United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson. The extent of the problem with the communication system wasn't immediately clear, but was bad enough the captain asked to divert, he said. The Boeing 777 was en route from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, with 255 passengers and crew aboard. It landed without incident at Pearson International Airport around 10 p.m., according to Sgt. Peter Riemenschneider with Peel Regional Police. The passengers were being kept in a gate area while a plane is sent to Canada to retrieve them and take them back to Chicago, Johnson said late Monday night. They will be put on another plane to Frankfurt sometime Tuesday. Back to Top Aviation Week Names United Continental CEO Jeff Smisek Person of the Year NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation Week has named Jeffery A. Smisek, president and CEO of United Continental Holdings, Inc., as its 2010 Person of the Year in a cover story published today in Aviation Week & Space Technology. A key player in the United-Continental merger, Smisek strategically approached United Airlines and faced off against opposing legislators, obtaining approval in an unprecedented six months, to bring about -- by some key measures -- the largest merger in airline industry history. "While it is still too early to predict the full ramifications of this merger, the combination of United and Continental is a pivotal event in global aviation," says the Aviation Week & Space Technology article by Senior Editor Darren Shannon. "The effect of the merger between Continental and United quickly reverberated beyond the U.S. to Latin America, where executives at LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines formed their own merger plan to rank among the world's powerhouses." A tenacious and quick-witted leader, Smisek is described by colleagues as having a keen understanding of long-term business implications and not worrying about making tough decisions -- qualities that served him well in the United-Continental merger negotiations, as well as the SkyWest Airlines takeover of Continental's main feeder airline, ExpressJet. Smisek pressed ExpressJet to accept the deal, while balancing his role as Continental's chief executive and pursuing United, swooping in as US Airways considered a deal of its own with Continental's desired partner. Smisek joined Continental in 1995 after practicing corporate finance and securities law as a partner at Vinson & Elkins. An Air Force officer's son, he received degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. "There is a lot of work ahead, and there will be some anxiousness, but we are a family of 87,000 people intent on becoming the world's leading airline, not just its largest," said Smisek. "Jeff Smisek has his work cut out for him in an industry hedged by global competition and consolidation," said Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology. "Global expansion is next for United Continental, and many eyes will be on them and areas such as the growing Latin American market." The Person of the Year distinction, the sixth in Aviation Week's 94-year history, recognizes the impact individuals have on the broader aviation, aerospace and defense community. Aviation Week staff editors selected Smisek from an international field of candidates. Prior recipients include the Space Entrepreneur (2009); U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (2008); the father of China's space program, Tsien Hsue-shen (2007); Alan Mulally, previously of Boeing Co. (2006); and Finmeccanica's Pier Francesco Guarguaglini (2005). Complete coverage of the Person of the Year is available at http://www.aviationweek.com. SOURCE Aviation Week Back to Top Aviation ministry to probe delay in installation of radar (Mumbai, India) The civil aviation ministry has begun digging into the reasons behind the delay in installing the surface movement radar (SMR) at the Mumbai airport on Monday. "We are looking in the delay aspect," said Alok Sinha, joint secretary, civil aviation ministry. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) missed the December 31 deadline, its third deadline in a year, to set up the radar, which is critical to smoothen ground traffic management on the airfield. AAI had missed deadlines in February and October last year. AAI officials said they were unable to start the radar because the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had not cleared the project. "The SMR would be available for use as soon as we get the DGCA clearance," said PK Nagpal, regional executive, AAI. However, no timeline has been set for when the radar would become functional. The SMR will provide digital images of moving objects on the airfield on the workstations of air traffic controllers. Presently, they depend on eye view of the airfield from the control tower to manage traffic on the ground. It is used by air traffic controllers (ATC). It helps the ATC track vehicular positions at night and in low visibility conditions. Mumbai airport, the country's second busiest airport, handles 500 airfield vehicles such as catering vans, airlines coaches and oil tankers in addition to more than 600 take- offs and landings daily. http://www.hindustantimes.com Back to Top Investigation finds safety issues with some Quest Diagnostics flights NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The federal investigation into a fatal 2009 plane crash in New Jersey has uncovered allegations that the country's largest medical lab operator, Quest Diagnostics, put commerce ahead of safety and threatened pilots who complained about inadequate training, dangerous flying practices and crushing workloads. The investigation also highlights how Quest Diagnostics and companies like it operate fleets of planes with little scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration under rules similar to those governing weekend fliers and hobbyists. "There isn't a tremendous amount of oversight in that sector," said Bill Voss, a former FAA official who heads the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit that advises on aviation issues. "You'd have to get into some incident of some sort or get a whistle- blower to say they're violating FAA regulations." Pilot George Maddox, of Sinking Springs in Berks County, and co-pilot Sanil Gopinath were seriously injured in the Aug. 21, 2009, crash of the twin-engine Beech 58 at Teterboro Airport. Maddox died two weeks later. The flight originated at the former Pottstown-Limerick Airport, now called Heritage Field, in Limerick. Quest operates a flight base at Reading Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board hasn't determined an official cause, but its preliminary report issued in November contains allegations from current and former employees of Madison, N.J.-based Quest. Among them: - Pilots often flew with insufficient rest time between flights. Three weeks before the crash, two pilots reportedly flew nine hours from Pennsylvania to New Mexico and Colorado and back to New Jersey, arriving at 1 a.m.; they were assigned to fly four more hours the next morning after sleeping for three hours, a clear violation of FAA rules, Voss said. - Though Quest had a policy giving pilots final say on whether to fly in bad weather, some told investigators that the policy was "just a plaque on the wall" and that they were frequently pressured by managers to attempt risky landing approaches. "We're often told, 'You're flying an irreplaceable specimen!'" one pilot told the NTSB. "How do you compete with that? Do you know how many hurricanes I've flown through?" - Flights carrying medical samples routinely carried more dry ice than allowable under FAA guidelines; when it sublimates into carbon dioxide in a confined space like a plane cabin, it can cause confusion, dizziness or unconsciousness. Pilots told investigators of being "overcome by carbon dioxide prior to engine start, during takeoff, as well as experiencing symptoms in flight" and of not receiving training in the use of on-board oxygen but being told "not to use the oxygen unless we were impaired." - When asked whether they were familiar with the company's no-reprisal policy, several employees said they were targeted after voicing safety concerns; others "laughed at the question and others just stared back at the interviewers, and would not reply," the report states. The policy was part of a safety program put in place after a 2004 audit by the Flight Safety Foundation that was prompted by a nonfatal accident involving a Quest plane. Company officials told investigators the policy is enforced. In an e-mailed statement, the company defended its safety practices to The Associated Press. It said that the conclusions in the NTSB report are "based on an incomplete and inaccurate investigation" and that "the basis for the NTSB's assessment of the company's safety culture is based primarily on statements of two former disgruntled employees." Quest performs testing for more than a half-million patients each day and serves about half the doctors and hospitals in the U.S., according to its website. Albert Murrer, Quest's director of air logistics, told NTSB investigators the company operates 20 to 30 planes that fly 28,000 hours a year to more than 60 cities, including daily flights out of Reading that sometimes stop at Pottstown Municipal Airport and Heritage Field in Limerick. "We've grown so much that at the level we are now, we are an airline," the report quotes him saying. Despite its size, Quest operates under the FAA's Part 91 rules, a set of general aviation regulations that apply to noncommercial flights, from single-engine Cessnas flown by amateurs to Learjets used for corporate travel. Part 91 operators aren't required to meet the more stringent requirements of Part 121 (commercial airlines) or Part 135 (for-hire charter) operators in areas such as pilot certification and training, pilot rest periods and reporting planes' weight and balance readings. "The difference between Part 91 and Part 121 or 135 is whether it's for hire or not," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. "If a company is operating its own fleet of aircraft, it's not for hire. Under Part 91, the rules are the same whether you're operating one plane or a number of airplanes." That worries people like Voss and Lisa Maddox, whose husband flew for Quest for 15 years. She suggested that inadequate training might have played a part in the accident; some Quest pilots expressed reservations about Gopinath's abilities to the NTSB. In his initial statement to the NTSB after the crash, Gopinath described a tug of war with Maddox over the flight controls in the final minutes after the co-pilot "brought the power down," causing Maddox to "freak out." Gopinath later recanted the statement. "It's pretty shocking that a company can operate at this level and be able to operate under Part 91," Lisa Maddox said. "I don't think that's the way the law should be. When you put a company like Quest together with Part 91, you're going to have accidents. They're going to take advantage of the lack of regulation." Voss doesn't envision the rules being changed to differentiate between smaller and larger operators. "If it's your stuff being flown for your purposes at your cost, it's considered a private business," he said. NTSB Factual Report on Quest Diagnostics 2009 plane crash at Teterboro Airport: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20090821X62833&key=1 http://www.pottstownmercury.com/ Back to Top NTSB: No further action on American download blunder The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it will not pursue any penalties or other actions against American Airlines for breaking protocol by downloading the flight deck recorder of a Boeing 757 involved in a runway overrun at the Jackson Hole airport on 29 December. Flight 2253 exited the usable portion of Runway 19 at Jackson Hole on landing that day, coming to rest approximately 107m (350ft) beyond the runway overrun area in hard packed snow. There were no injuries to the 181 passengers and crew on board and an initial inspection showed no mechanical damage to the aircraft. A video that later appeared on line from a passenger on board shows that the aircraft's thrust reversers were activated well into the landing run rather than immediately after touchdown, indicating a potential equipment or operational difficulty. As part of the investigation however, the NTSB learned that American Airlines technicians had downloaded the digital flight deck recorder (DFDR) during a stopover in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the DFDR and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were being routed by American to the NTSB in Washington. The airline did not download the CVR. "Although a thorough examination by our investigators determined that no information from the DFDR was missing or altered in any way, the breach of protocol by American Airlines personnel violates the Safety Board's standards of conduct for any organization granted party status in an NTSB investigation," said NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman on 31 December. As a result, the NTSB banned American from participating in the investigation. American admits that it downloaded the DFDR, but says in a statement it was "part of its normal safety investigation" of the incident. "At no point in the process was the data on the DFDR compromised," the airline says. "There was no attempt to circumvent any collaborative process with the NTSB or FAA." American says it has begun an internal review of its procedures "to insure that it is in full compliance with the NTSB." The NTSB apparently has agreed with the carrier's review of processes and will not pursue further actions. A spokesman says the error is being viewed as a "single incident" and that officials have been assured "it's not going to recur". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC