Flight Safety Information January 12, 2011 - No. 012 In This Issue Qantas 747 Airplane Suffers Engine Failure Saturday AAMS responds to FAA Air Ambulance safety NPRM Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Releases Annual Report Delta considers order for up to 200 new planes NASA shows off the aircraft of 2025 Airplane skids off runway (Canada) Blank ATC blinds pilots (India) Groen Brothers Aviation To Manufacture Gyroplane In China Maryland files $4 million lawsuit against FAA over 2008 Medevac crash Flight returns twice over strange smell Court Sanctions Retirement Of 8 PAL Flight Pursers (Philippines) Flight makes emergency lands after engine fault (India) Qantas 747 Airplane Suffers Engine Failure Saturday SYDNEY -(Dow Jones)- A Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) 747 airplane about to take off from Sydney Airport suffered an engine failure on Saturday. Flight QF11 to Los Angeles was carrying 344 passengers and was on the runway preparing for take-off at 0430 GMT Saturday when the number one engine failed. A Qantas spokeswoman told Dow Jones Newswires on Sunday that it had been determined that it was "a turbine blade failure". She added that the engine was being replaced and the airplane would be back in service shortly. An AAP report Sunday quoted passengers describing "a loud bang" at the time of the incident, with the captain allegedly telling the passengers over the intercom that the engine had "cooked itself". A Qantas spokeswoman told AAP that a replacement 747 took off at 0838 GMT Saturday. Qantas is recovering from an engine blowout on Nov. 4 that grounded its fleet of new A380 jetliners and hit revenue. The company has since said it will resume flights of the A380 from Sydney to Los Angeles that had been grounded until technical checks were completed on Rolls- Royce Group Plc engines. Back to Top AAMS responds to FAA Air Ambulance safety NPRM The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) has officially filed its comments with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to the FAA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), "Air Ambulance and Commercial Helicopter Operations, Part 91 Helicopter Operations, and Part 135 Aircraft Operations; Safety Initiatives and Miscellaneous Amendments." Summary of Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM),Docket No. FAA- 2010-0982. This proposed rule addresses air ambulance and commercial helicopter operations, part 91 helicopter operations, and load manifest requirements for all part 135 aircraft. From 2002 to 2008, there has been an increase in fatal helicopter air ambulance accidents. To address these safety concerns, the FAA is proposing to implement operational procedures and require additional equipment on board helicopter air ambulances. Many of these proposed requirements currently are found in agency guidance publications and would address National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendations. Some of these safety concerns are not unique to the helicopter air ambulance industry and affect all commercial helicopter operations. Accordingly, the FAA also is proposing to amend regulations pertaining to all commercial helicopter operations conducted under part 135 to include equipment requirements, pilot training, and alternate airport weather minima. The changes are intended to provide certificate holders and pilots with additional tools and procedures that will aid in preventing accidents. The NPRM, released for public comment in October 2010, proposes, among other things, the installation of Helicopter Terrain Awareness Systems (HTAWS) and radar altimeters for EMS helicopters, increased weather minima and duty time requirements for Part 135 and Part 91 flights, and enhanced safety procedures such as pre-flight risk planning, Operational Control Centers, and enhanced safety briefings for medical crew. AAMS supports appropriate measures to increase safety throughout the air medical industry, and welcomed the opportunity to provide comments on how the FAA could most effectively accomplish implementation of these safety initiatives. The air medical community has been steadily embracing advances in safety technology, even ahead of government regulation, and has been striving to create a more vigilant, safety-minded culture throughout the industry. In addition to the safety measures contained in the NPRM, AAMS is also in support of scenario-based simulator training; a robust Safety Management System (SMS) program; and the improvement of the low-altitude aviation infrastructure through enhanced off-airport weather reporting, global positioning systems technologies, and funding for hospital helipads. AAMS also advocates the use of enhanced vision systems, as well as the annual collection of flight-hour-related data. AAMS further recommends the FAA study flight crew fatigue factors; establish guidelines to discourage "helicopter shopping" among emergency- response networks; adopt regulations and technology standards that govern equipment, devices and procedures; and provide best practices regarding existing operational control systems and flight operations quality assurance programs. "AAMS has a long history of working in collaboration with the FAA, Congress, and the NTSB to focus on the safety of our patients and our crewmembers. We look forward to continuing work toward this common goal," said AAMS President Daniel Hankins, MD, FACEP. "While we welcome the opportunity to work with the FAA on these regulatory initiatives, we continue our multi-layered approach to safety by also exploring human factors and culture-of-safety issues. Most notably is our annual Safety Management Training Academy, now entering its second year; a full track of safety-focused sessions at our annual Air Medical Transport Conference; our Vision Zero program, developed in 2005 to create and encourage a "culture of safety" through education, awareness and personal vigilance; and the on-going funding of safety- focused industry research by AAMS' charitable arm, the MedEvac Foundation." In crafting its response to the FAA, AAMS received the input from a number of AAMS' committees and Special Interest Groups (SIGs), including the AAMS Government Relations Committee, Safety Committee, Fixed Wing SIG, and the Director of Operations (DO) Section. Throughout the process, AAMS also coordinated as closely as possible with a number of industry partners including the Air Medical Operators Association, the Association of Critical Care Transport, Helicopter Association International and the National EMS Pilots Association. http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=7756 Back to Top Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Releases Annual Report Points Out Links Between Safety And Procurement The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has released its 2010 annual report. The panel examines NASA's safety performance during the past year and alerts agency and government leaders to issues and concerns. Congress established the ASAP in 1968 after the Apollo 1 fire to provide advice and make recommendations to the NASA administrator on safety matters. The panel holds quarterly fact-finding and public meetings and makes one or more visits annually to NASA centers and related sites. This year's report advises NASA on issues that have significant potential to impact human spaceflight. "The panel's first and foremost concern is the lack of clarity and constancy of purpose among NASA, Congress, and the administration," panel Chairman Joseph W. Dyer said. "We believe this increases the likelihood that essential knowledge and competencies in the contractor or government workforce, such as those involving safety considerations, lessons learned, and past experience will not be present to effectively reduce risk in the future." Some of the panel's critical safety issues or concerns in the 18-page report include: Human spaceflight acquisition strategy and safety approach. FAA/NASA relationship. Workforce and safety culture. International Space Station challenges. Concerning acquisition, the report states "Acquisition strategy is PROFOUNDLY linked to safety. The principles of design and system robustness, as well as the delicate trades among cost, schedule, performance, and safety, are communicated to the supplier via the request for proposal that is derived from the acquisition strategy. Acquisition strategy articulates the design goals and optimizes placement on a continuum between "cheapest achievable" and "best possible." Additionally, the strategy lays out the success criteria and reward structure. The safety linkage is intimate and inseparable." The panel also urges NASA and the FAA to work together to facilitate human spaceflight. "The potential benefits from a strong interagency partnership are evident. NASA has been launching humans into space for almost 50 years. At the same time, the FAA has more than 25 years of experience in regulating commercial space launches and 84 years (with its predecessor organizations) in regulating commercial air travel. The challenge will be for NASA and the FAA to avoid levying conflicting and/or unnecessarily burdensome requirements on the launch operators while still ensuring safe operations. "The Panel believes that it will be very important for NASA and the FAA to "practice" their new relationship during cargo-delivery and vehicle-development missions over the next several years. For example, it has already been decided that Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) and Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions will involve FAA licensing. Advantages of this approach include the capability to use existing processes for insurance, cross- waivers, Government indemnification for third-party excess claims, and the FAA's ability to take enforcement actions, if necessary, to ensure compliance with safety-related regulations." The full report is available online. FMI: http://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/asap Back to Top Delta considers order for up to 200 new planes (AP) Delta Air Lines Inc. is considering an order for as many as 200 jets , possibly with options for 200 more , to replace the aging fleet it uses for domestic flying. Delta said it asked "several major aircraft manufacturers" for proposals for firm orders for 100 to 200 planes, with options for 200 more, with deliveries to begin in early 2013. No decisions about an order have been made yet, said Nat Pieper, Delta's vice president for fleet strategy and transactions. The request went to manufacturers in late December. The new planes would replace Delta workhorses such as the DC-9-50s and Airbus A320s that it got when it bought Northwest Airlines in 2008, as well as Boeing 757-200s, which both airlines have operated. CEO Richard Anderson said in a message to employees that Delta pilots will fly the new planes, not feeder carriers. Delta has shifted flying away from feeder carriers, and has gotten rid of more than 70 of its 50-seat regional jets and 25 Saab 340 turboprops. A jet order will give Delta the size of planes it needs "to be able to replace retiring airplanes and have modest growth when the economy and fuel prices support it," Anderson said. He said Delta is looking for small, medium, and large planes in the "narrowbody" category, meaning planes with a single aisle for passengers. Boeing Co. and Airbus, a unit of EADS, are the main manufacturers who could meet such an order, although Chinese and Brazilian manufacturers also plan new planes of the size Delta is looking for. Earlier this week Airbus said an Indian airline made the biggest commercial jet order ever, for 180 of its A320s. A Delta order would have the potential to eclipse that, although Delta could also break the order up among multiple manufacturers. In December 2009, United Airlines said it would order 50 new planes, split between Boeing and Airbus. http://www.philly.com/ Back to Top NASA shows off the aircraft of 2025 Late last year, NASA awarded contracts to three teams - Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing - to develop advanced designs for the year 2025. While all final designs have to meet rigid criteria for noise, exhaust and fuel consumption, the three concepts look very different. The Boeing design looks like a cartoon version of a Stealth Bomber, with a hybrid winged/lifting body design. It can handle a truly enormous payload and has its engines mounted on top to reduce ground noise. Northrop Grumman's design has a double fuselage, like a pair of aeronatical conjoined twins. It looks strikingly like Virgin's White Knight space launch vehicle. Lockheed Martin's is the most conventional of the three, looking pretty much like a standard airliner, but has its engine at the rear - only one engine, meaning it will have to be pretty reliable. The proposed aircraft will all have to work safely with modern air traffic management systems. Other criteria include the ability to fly at up to 85 percent of the speed of sound; cover a range of approximately 7,000 miles; and carry between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds of payload, either as passengers or cargo. The three designs will now be developed further. Each team will spend the rest of this year exploring, testing and simulating refinements to their designs. http://www.tgdaily.com/ Back to Top Airplane skids off runway (Canada) Five people escaped serious injury when a medevac flight from Slave Lake skidded off the runway while trying to land at City Centre Airport at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. One person on board the plane suffered minor injuries while the other four were not injured. All five were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital as a precaution, said Robert D'Aoust, a district fire chief for the airport. "This could have been a lot worse. Luckily there were no serious injuries," said D'Aoust. Although there was no major structural damage to the plane, a Beech 200 two-engine aircraft, D'Aoust did say one flap was bent. Snow was falling and there was a light northerly wind at the time the plane skidded off the runway. Edmonton Airports spokeswoman Sarah Meffen said the airport was closed immediately after the incident and was reopened an hour later. No further details about the nature of the medevac flight were available at press time. Slave Lake is about 251 km northwest of Edmonton. http://www.edmontonsun.com/ Back to Top Blank ATC blinds pilots (India) Faulty communication equipment had compromised aviation safety during the foggiest two days of the season so far, cutting off around 500 aircraft flying along a southern stretch under the city airport's surveillance. A veteran pilot who had to navigate his way through an 180-nautical mile stretch between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam without the air traffic control's assistance described the experience as "flying blindfolded". Fliers aboard those 500 aircraft, many of them overflying Calcutta, had no inkling of the communication failure but the pilots were in a tizzy, sources said. "Air traffic control could see the planes on the radar but failed to communicate with the pilots because of a technical problem in the VHF equipment on both Friday and Saturday. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened," said an airport official. For the pilots who were on their own during the 30 minutes that it takes to cover the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam stretch, this was not the first time that faulty communication equipment at the city airport had let them down. "This has been going on for the past 15 years and yet there is no sign of improvement," complained the pilot of a Calcutta-Chennai Jet Airways flight on Saturday. The city airport has seven pieces of VHF equipment for communication with aircraft on various routes, including ones on the ground and those about to land. "The one that is used for communication on the stretch between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam was creating problems on Friday and Saturday, when the density of fog was the thickest. Even when communication was possible, the voices were distorted. It has since been repaired, " an official said. An engineer revealed that the VHF equipment hadn't been upgraded in more than a decade. So are the authorities waiting for a disaster to happen before doing the needful? "We are in the process of modernisation of the ATC," said Gautam Mukherjee, the regional executive director (eastern region) of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). An AAI official in Delhi said there were "plans" to spend Rs 250 crore in excess of the modernisation budget of Rs 2,300 crore on upgrading the ATC, including a new tower, in around one-and-a-half years. "Of the estimated additional cost of Rs 250 crore, around Rs 100 crore will be spent on flight safety equipment," he added. Pilots said it was dangerous to depend on unreliable communication equipment for another day, leave alone a year and a half. "A flight plan is submitted by the pilot before take-off but that is prepared based on data before flying. During a flight, there are several factors that keep changing and one needs to constantly be in touch with the ATC for guidance," said a pilot. The variables include the need to change altitude if another craft is nearby and diversion of routes in the event of a sudden change in weather. http://www.telegraphindia.com/ Back to Top Groen Brothers Aviation To Manufacture Gyroplane In China January 17, 2011 - Groen Brothers Aviation, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Groen Brothers Aviation International, formed to participate in the joint venture, has entered into an agreement with Guangzhou Suntrans Aviation Science and Technology Co., ("Suntrans") to form a Cooperative Joint Venture ("CJV"). The CJV will be named Foshan Suntrans-Groen Aviation Co., Ltd. ("FSG Aviation"). The CJV will be a limited liability company formed under the laws of the People's Republic of China whose purpose is to produce in China for sales worldwide, light gyroplanes based upon GBA's SparrowHawk design. The agreement generally provides for FSGA to assemble, manufacture, sell, and provide related services for GBA's SparrowHawk Gyroplane Program, including the most advanced version of the SparrowHawk aircraft developed to date, the SparrowHawk III. It is expected that FSG Aviation will reintroduce the SparrowHawk III Kit into the US and world markets, followed over the next few years by a fully assembled light gyroplane using technology transferred by GBA to the CJV. The agreement for the CJV will come into force upon the approval of the appropriate Chinese regulatory authorities for which the parties are in the process of preparing the necessary papers. The total amount of registered capital of the Joint Venture will be Chinese Renminbi ("RMB") 100 Million (approximately US$14.7 million). Under the terms of the agreement, Suntrans will contribute RMB 75 million (approximately US$11 million) to the Joint Venture in cash and hold 75% of the shares in FSG Aviation; in return for its contribution of the SparrowHawk Program and transfer of certain advanced gyroplane technology, Groen LLC will hold 25% of the shares valued at RMB 25 million (approximately US$3.67 million). GBA considers the formation of this Joint Venture particularly of value because the Chinese government has announced that it has begun a program to open to the public, Chinese airspace below 3,000 meters. "An aircraft that's easy and safe to fly, highly maneuverable and needing only a very short runway, which is essentially what the SparrowHawk Gyroplane is, ought to be very popular in China, as the country opens up to a new generation of private pilots," said GBA's Vice President of Business Development, Al Waddill, "especially since demand for personal aircraft should be far beyond the capability of China's current general aviation infrastructure." Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc. has been developing gyroplane technology since 1986 and is recognized as the world's leading authority on sustained autorotative flight. Powered by a Rolls-Royce gas turbine engine, GBA developed the world's first commercially viable modern gyroplane, the first "autogiro" to utilize a jet engine - the Hawk 4 Gyroplane. The Hawk 4 was used extensively for security aerial patrol missions during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. GBA announced in October 2005 that DARPA, an arm of the United States Department of Defense, awarded a contract to GBA to form and lead a team to design a proof of concept high speed, long range, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft designed for use in Combat Search and Rescue roles. This modern rotorcraft, named by DARPA as the "Heliplane," is designed to exploit GBA's gyrodyne technology; offering the VTOL capability of a helicopter, the fast forward flight of an airplane, and the safety, simplicity and reliability of a GBA gyroplane. GBA completed Phase I of the Heliplane contract and also participated as a subcontractor to Georgia Institute of Technology for tip-jet noise reduction work for Phase IB, which was also successful. To date DARPA has not announced funding for Phase II and the future involvement of the Company in the DARPA contract is unknown. The Heliplane could be the next generation rotor wing aircraft, meeting economy and performance goals not considered achievable by any other type of VTOL aircraft. http://avstop.com/ Back to Top Maryland files $4 million lawsuit against FAA over 2008 Medevac crash The state of Maryland has filed a $4 million suit against the Federal Aviation Administration alleging air traffic controller negligence in communications with a Maryland State Police Trooper 2 helicopter prior to a September 2008 crash in District Heights that killed four people. The suit alleges that air traffic controllers based at Andrews Air Force Base - now known as Joint Base Andrews - were not equipped to deal with requests for airport surveillance radar, a ground-based radar that guides aircraft to a safe runway landing, and gave state police Pilot Stephen J. Bunker weather information that was five hours old. The state of Maryland and the Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania filed the suit Dec. 2 in U.S. District Court of Maryland's Southern Division. The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania insured the helicopter, a 1989 Aerospatiale, against physical injury, court documents state. The suit also states that the air traffic controllers were only working half of their shift while taking a break for the remainder, court documents state. Bunker, 59, of Waldorf; Trooper 1st Class Mickey C. Lippy, 34, of Westminster, a state police flight paramedic; Tonya Mallard, 39, of Waldorf, an EMT for the Waldorf Volunteer Rescue Squad; and Ashley J. Younger, 17, of Waldorf died in the crash. Jordan Wells, now 20, of Waldorf was the lone crash survivor. The Trooper 2 helicopter transported Wells and Younger from a vehicle crash in Waldorf and crashed in a wooded section of District Heights' Walker Mill Regional Park while trying to land at Joint Base Andrews, where an ambulance was waiting to transport Wells and Younger to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly. Bunker could not fly directly to Prince George's Hospital Center due to foggy weather conditions. When Bunker requested airport surveillance ground radar from the Joint Base Andrews tower, he was told by a female traffic controller that she was not "current" on ASR approaches and could not give him one. She was only dealing with Bunker's aircraft and the suit states she had a duty to inform Bunker if his aircraft was too close to terrain, court documents state. After Bunker descended into Walker Mill Regional Park, the controller should have been able to detect Bunker's "position, groundspeed, and altitude" from a tower radar display at Andrews, court documents state. Three families of the crash victims have already filed suits against the Federal Aviation Administration alleging negligence on the part of the air traffic controllers at Joint Base Andrews is what led to the crash. Wells filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the FAA on Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Greenbelt. Wells' right leg was amputated as a result of injuries she suffered from the crash. Kenneth Mallard, husband of Tonya Mallard, filed a $7 million suit against the FAA on July 21, also in federal court, that also claims the FAA did not ensure Trooper 2's safe landing. Mickey Lippy's widow, Christina P. Lippy of Westminster, sued the FAA in March in federal court for $15 million on behalf of her husband. An FAA spokeswoman, Arlene Salac, has said previously the FAA is not permitted to comment on pending litigation. http://www.somdnews.com/ Back to Top Flight returns twice over strange smell The Cathay Pacific flight, with 184 passengers on board, left Vancouver on Saturday night, but turned back after about 10 minutes in the air, The Vancouver Sun reported. Cathay Pacific spokeswoman Jennifer Pearson confirmed "there was a strong smell on board". Two hours later, after the plane was checked out and deemed safe, it flew out again, but the Boeing 777-300 was forced to turn back once again after the smell was still detected. While Ms Pearson could not elaborate on what kind of odour it was, the Vancouver Airport Authority stated that passengers reported smelling smoke. After the aircraft landed in Vancouver again, the flight was canceled and hotel bookings made for the passengers. Cathay's own engineers inspected the plane on Sunday. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Back to Top Court Sanctions Retirement Of 8 PAL Flight Pursers (Philippines) January 17, 2011 - Eight (8) flight pursers of Philippine Airlines (PAL) will be retired by the airline management effective January 16, 2011 after a Makati court removed all legal obstacles for their separation from service upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 55. A flight purser is someone that usually oversees the flight attendants. Like a supervisor. The flight purser is very much like a flight attendant, that is insuring and assisting passengers are served refreshments, luggage properly stored, passengers are briefed on aircraft safety, etc. A flight purser typically has a longer tenure, with an airline for several years, normally earns a higher salary than flight attendants because of the added responsibilities. PAL Vice President for Human Resources Jose SL Uybarreta said the flight pursers were informed of their retirement shortly after Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court's Branch 147 lifted an injunction order which earlier barred the airline from enforcing a provision of their 2000-2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement pegging at 55 the retirement age of female flight attendants hired before November 22, 1996. To be affected by the retirement order are the following flight pursers: Yvette Grant, Vina Sanchez, Cora Mislang, Irma Bituin, Cristina Mendoza, Evangeline Bocobo, Mooning Noel and Maria Afable. Uybarreta said the Makati court lifted the injunction order last January 4, 2011 after it was convinced that whatever damages may be sustained by the flight attendants - if it will be proven later that they should be retired at 60 - "maybe computed, taking into consideration the salaries and benefits that they will earn if they retire at the age of 60, and not 55." However, the judge required PAL to post a P5-million counter- injunction bond to answer for any or all damages the flight attendants may sustain if the Court later determines that PAL is not entitled to the lifting of said injunction order. Uybarreta said that contrary to claims by the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association (FASAP), the retirement order is not in defiance of the Department of Labor and Employment's December 23 ruling setting the retirement age of female flight attendants at 60. "The DOLE ruling on the FASAP case is not yet final and executory as PAL is seeking reconsideration of the same. Pending a final determination of the real mandatory retirement age, it is PAL's position that the current retirement age brackets as outlined in the existing CBAs between PAL and FASAP should prevail," he stressed. "FASAP condemns PAL's action when it is merely complying with the ruling of the Makati RTC, which, for all intents and purposes, is a valid and enforceable order as against the decision of Secretary Baldoz which is still under appeal," said Uybarreta. He stressed that it is absurd and contrary to common sense and established legal principles if PAL will not comply with Judge Pimentel's order. In July last year, the same court granted the petition of the eight pursers to stop PAL from retiring them at 55, claiming that said CBA provision is unconstitutional and discriminatory against women. http://avstop.com/ Back to Top Flight makes emergency lands after engine fault (India) BANGALORE: It was a nervous few minutes for the passengers aboard the Kingfisher Airlines flight, IT 4817, at the Bangalore International Airport here Sunday morning. In a few minutes after the Hyderabad- bound flight took off, a technical problem was allegedly detected in its right engine, forcing it to be aborted. The flight, however, made a safe landing. Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson Prakash Mirpuri said all 27 passengers and five crew members on the aircraft were safe as they were deplaned immediately after the touch down. "Shortly after it left Bangalore for Hyderabad, the flight commander received a warning alert. The cockpit crew immediately took necessary action as per established procedures and as a precaution, decided to immediately return to Bangalore. The aircraft, an ATR 72-500, landed safely in Bangalore at around 8.40 am," Mirpuri said. Soon after the incident, airport authorities along with the Kingfisher staff swung into action and checked the aircraft for any technical fault. The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by a French-Italian manufacturer. "The flight safety team will conduct a detailed investigation into the issue," said Mirpuri, expressing regret over the inconvenience caused to their passengers. http://expressbuzz.com/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC