Flight Safety Information February 16, 2011 - No. 035 In This Issue DIA asks feds to help evaluate safety after two runway incursions United temporarily grounds 96 aircraft Jet makes unplanned stop over faulty warning light NASA database offers another view of air safety Domestic Unpiloted Aircraft May Use 'Tunneling' to Fly in National Airspace Medical Helicopter Lands In Tulsa Field After Striking Hawk Four flights diverted from Reno-Tahoe airport today because of wind Congressman wants passenger rights to become a law UPS Expands Boeing Airplane Health Management to MD-11 Fleet 2010 an average year for aviation safety Survey: "Aviation as a Career Choice" DIA asks feds to help evaluate safety after two runway incursions in past month The FAA is investigating two recent runway incursions at Denver International Airport, and airport manager Kim Day has asked the agency to help conduct "a candid, systemic evaluation of all our airfield safety and training programs." On Feb. 9, a small Key Lime Air cargo plane missed a turn onto a taxiway and instead ended up on an active runway as a Frontier Airlines jet was taking off from the other end. The Frontier plane had been cleared for takeoff when air traffic controllers noticed the Key Lime plane apparently ignoring runway warning lights and pavement markings and crossing onto the other end of the runway, according to officials. A radar-based ground surveillance system gave controllers warning of a possible looming conflict and the Frontier pilots were advised to abort the takeoff, according to officials. Another controller was trying to warn the Key Lime pilot. The Frontier plane was too far into its takeoff roll to stop, and it lifted off the runway at about its midpoint, just as the Key Lime plane was taxiing off the runway to safety near where it had entered. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said he could not comment on details of the incident beyond acknowledging the agency was investigating it. Todd Schleibaum, Key Lime's operations director, said the carrier was conducting its own internal investigation of the event, which he said included the report that the plane "crossed the active holdbar line" for the runway. "I need to know more of what happened before we can figure out what went wrong and where," Schleibaum said. Vehicle on runway In a letter to the FAA on Monday, Day referred to two other recent airfield incidents that preceded the Key Lime incursion. On Jan. 31, "an airport vehicle crossed onto an active runway with an airplane poised for takeoff," the FAA's Fergus confirmed Tuesday. An Air Canada plane cleared for takeoff had not yet started its takeoff roll, and the pilots informed air traffic control that there was a vehicle on the runway. "An air traffic controller immediately canceled takeoff clearance for the aircraft," Fergus said, adding that this incident also is being investigated by the agency. On Feb. 4, a contractor working for DIA inadvertently drove onto an active taxiway. Officials called it a "surface deviation" because it did not qualify as a runway incursion. An airport employee noticed the infraction and immediately notified airport security and airport operations personnel, said DIA spokesman Jeff Green. "In any instance such as this or the incursion of Jan. 31, the individual is immediately stripped of airport driving privileges and escorted from the airfield, per the airport's policies and procedures," Green said. In her letter to the FAA, Day wrote: "While they are unrelated and very different, these incidents occurring literally days apart have me concerned that we must consider all approaches to improving safety at our airport." Similar to 2007 incidents The recent incursions mirror similar incidents four years ago. In January 2007, another Key Lime plane also entered an active runway just as a Frontier jet was about to land. One air-traffic controller screamed for another to instruct the Frontier pilots to abort the landing and do a "go around" to avoid hitting the Key Lime plane, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report on the incident. The Frontier crew successfully performed that maneuver, and the NTSB included the incident in a tutorial on the dangers of runway incursions. And in February 2007, a DIA snowplow driver inadvertently drove on a runway just as a United Airlines jet was landing. The United pilots used emergency braking to avoid a collision with the ground vehicle, according to the NTSB's report on that incident. Those occurrences led DIA to improve pavement markings and signs delineating the entries to runways and taxiways. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17398476 Back to Top United temporarily grounds 96 aircraft United Airlines temporarily grounds 96 Boeing 757s for maintenance checks (AP) United Continental Holdings Inc. said it voluntarily grounded 96 United Airlines aircraft temporarily Tuesday so that maintenance checks could be completed. The grounding caused 15 flights to be canceled and an unspecified number of delays. The airline had earlier said there were 25 cancellations. A spokeswoman said the carrier was able to reinstate some flights. The maintenance checks take 60 to 90 minutes. The issue could affect United's schedule into Wednesday. Airline spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said United grounded the Boeing 757 aircraft because the carrier determined that it had not completed operational checks after updating air data computers following a 2004 federal directive. She said all of the computers are fully functional. McCarthy said the airline discovered the oversight Tuesday during routine quality assurance checks. An FAA spokeswoman, Laura Brown, said United's move was voluntary. It only affected United's fleet of Boeing 757s. McCarthy said Continental's fleet of 62 757s weren't grounded. The two airlines combined last year to create the world's largest airline. They will continue to operate separately under the Chicago-based parent holding company until they receive a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, which they expect to receive by the end of 2011. The airworthiness directive required a modification of the air data computer system on certain Boeing aircraft. It involved installing new circuit breakers, relays, and related components, and making various wiring changes in and between the flight deck and main equipment center. According to the published directive, the actions were necessary to ensure that the flight crew is able to silence an erroneous overspeed or stall warning. A persistent erroneous warning could confuse and distract the flight crew and lead to an increase in the flight crew's workload. Such a situation could lead the flight crew to act on hazardously misleading information, which could result in loss of control of the airplane, according to the directive. The directive was effective June 22, 2004. Back to Top Jet makes unplanned stop over faulty warning light GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.(AP) -Authorities say a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Denver made an unscheduled landing in the western Colorado city of Grand Junction because a warning light wrongly indicated smoke in the cargo area. Officials at Grand Junction Regional Airport say the Airbus 319 was carrying 109 passengers and crew, and all exited safely after the plane landed at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday. United spokesman Mike Trevino says a smoky smell was also reported in the cabin, but airport firefighters found no visible smoke anywhere in the plane. No injuries have been reported. A replacement plane landed in Grand Junction at about 2 p.m. to take the passengers on to Denver. Back to Top NASA database offers another view of air safety One pilot said he could hear another plane's engines as it passed within 400 feet overhead at 15,000 feet. Another said his commercial jet nearly struck a fuel truck on a runway but managed to stop as frightened passengers alerted him - with two feet to spare. Their accounts appear in a rarely-examined federal database kept by NASA that contains far more reports than official Federal Aviation Administration logs because it's anonymous and is not subject to scrutiny or supplemented by other witness accounts. Pilots, air traffic controllers, flight crew members and aircraft maintenance workers can file to NASA their reports of near collisions, miscommunication, pilot fatigue, equipment failures and other mishaps. The Watchdog Institute reviewed NASA's database of tens of thousands of reports to identify at least 271 for the San Diego area since 2000. It found 45 accounts by pilots who said they had to bank, dive or climb - sometimes violently - to avoid colliding with aircraft or terrain that in some cases came as close as 30 to 500 feet. NASA has no investigative or disciplinary authority and is therefore considered neutral territory where pilots and others can disclose mishaps, usually with impunity. NASA is "in a wonderful position to be a clearinghouse of information and see patterns ... to head off problems, " said John King, a pilot, instructor and co- owner of King Schools near Montgomery Field. He said he incorporates what he learns from NASA's monthly safety roundup into his teaching. Members of the aviation community cautioned that the reports are not statistically reliable but Linda Connell, director of NASA's program, said it has its value. "We believe that the real power of (the database) lies in the report narratives," she said. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown in Washington, D.C., noted that NASA's program, while a trendsetter when established in the 1970s, is one piece of a bigger data picture the FAA relies upon to evaluate matters of safety. Airport officials said the NASA reports describe a tiny fraction of the takeoffs and landings that take place at county airports. For instance, 99 reports made to NASA over 10 years concerning McClellan-Palomar Airport, out of about 200,000 operations there annually, is statistically negligible at .0000495 percent. "There are issues in these reports that may be considered breaches of safety but not necessarily as significant," said Peter Drinkwater, director of San Diego County airports, which include Gillespie, McClellan-Palomar, Ramona, Fallbrook, Borrego Valley, Jacumba, Agua Caliente and Ocotillo. Jim Swain, a former airport tower manager and air-traffic controller who is now a consultant for county airports, said he has written reports to NASA as a controller, and reviewed reports as a manager. He said one weakness of the system is the NASA reports are based on one person's perceptions and don't include the perspectives of all the parties involved in an incident. When it comes to identifying safety issues, he said he looks to official reports, such as annual safety reviews by the FAA and voice and radar recordings. Alexandra Caldwell, spokeswoman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, believes the NASA program, as well as a couple of other similar ones instituted in the last few years, are improving safety. "It's a more safety-minded culture now," Caldwell said. Controllers, for instance, "are not being penalized for reporting errors. Our controllers feel more comfortable raising the red flag on problems in the system." http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/15/nasa-has-another-take-on- air-safety-reports-to/ Back to Top Domestic Unpiloted Aircraft May Use 'Tunneling' to Fly in National Airspace While unmanned aerial vehicles are common in the skies above Afghanistan and Iraq, they have been flown sparingly in the United States because of strict Federal Aviation Administration rules regulating national airspace. Police agencies would like to use remotely controlled aircraft to monitor cities. Customs and Border Protection has employed them along the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, but the Department of Homeland Security would like to expand their applications by flying them to disaster zones in times of emergency. Standing in their way is the FAA, which has a duty to prevent aviation-related accidents. One of the key sticking points has been the ability of the remotely piloted aircraft to sense and avoid other aircraft or obstacles in low altitudes. The Army may have a solution to the problem. A ground-based system of radars or other sensors peering up at the UAV and the airspace surrounding it could help escort a pilotless aircraft to its destination, said Viva Austin, product director for unmanned systems airspace integration concepts at the Army aviation bureau. The concept is called "tunneling," which requires the setting up of safe corridors through airways and the pre-placement of sensors at points along the way. If an object is detected, the radar nodes would send a command to the UAV for it to move out of harm's way. Previous concepts called for placing sensors aboard the aircraft. The military has been working on onboard solutions for years, but so far no technologies have emerged that fit the FAA's stringent requirements. The military has a pressing need to access national airspace. With the war in Iraq winding down, and the Afghan conflict possibly ending by 2014, all four services will need to train future remotely piloted aircraft operators at domestic bases. "We don't meet the federal regulations to fly in the national airspace," Austin said. "We need to expand access." The office of the secretary of defense has set up an unmanned aerial systems task force to address the problem. The Army has the lead for the ground-based sense-and-avoid system. "It's not just getting out to the airspace and doing whatever we want," she said. Military aircraft would have to stick to these tunnels when moving from one restricted airspace to another. Civilian agencies such as CBP and NASA have shared data with the task force to help the effort, Austin said. For now, the office is working on a basic system of ground-based radars. A second-generation version of the program would have to integrate with other airborne and space-based sensors, as well as the next-generation air transportation system, which is an FAA program to modernize the nation's air traffic control system, she said. http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ Back to Top Medical Helicopter Lands In Tulsa Field After Striking Hawk The pilot put the helicopter down as a precaution near I-44 and Highway 75. Crews found damage to the helicopter's tail so it will be grounded until repairs can be made.NewsOn6.com TULSA, Oklahoma -- A Tulsa medical helicopter made an unexpected landing in a field Tuesday after hitting a hawk during flight. The pilot put the helicopter down as a precaution near I-44 and Highway 75. The Air Evac helicopter was airlifting a patient to Hillcrest hospital when it hit the bird. EMSA was called in to transport the patient the rest of the way. The flight nurse went with the patient to the hospital and was dropped off back at the scene. The impact left a bloody stain and what will be an expensive dent. Witnesses said this carcass of a large hawk was still stuck on the tail when the helicopter landed. The precautionary landing in the middle of a neighborhood attracted some attention. "Actually, I was in the house on the computer and I heard a helicopter, and I said 'whoa that's close.' So, I ran out here to see what was going on," said neighbor Nicole Beaumont. An Air Evac mechanic was called to inspect the aircraft, and though he found everything intact, the dent makes the helicopter unfit to fly and it will be hauled to a hangar for repairs. As the flight crew secured the aircraft and their equipment, another hawk circled nearby and neighbors say they see lots of them. "I see one that perches right up there and he'll catch something and eat it," Beaumont said. The landing was in one of the few wide open spots near Highway 75 and I-44, and right along the flight path as the crew transported a patient from Bristow to Tulsa. There's been more attention lately on the danger to aircraft from bird strikes. They're naturally going to happen more at low altitudes where helicopters fly and other aircraft are in critical phases of flight while taking off or landing. Air Evac is based out of West Plains, Missouri. http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=14035136 Back to Top Four flights diverted from Reno-Tahoe airport today because of wind Today's high winds caused six delays of significance -- meaning 30 minutes or more -- and four flight diversions, said Trish Tucker, Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority spokesperson. "Unfortunately, one of those four diverted twice," she said. That flight was coming from Salt Lake City but diverted to Sacramento, refueled and tried to no avail again, returning to Utah. Two of the diversions happened around noon and two around 3:30 p.m., she said. "We have had flights arrive and depart today," Tucker said. "But the decision is made by the pilot and crew if they have safety concerns. "We can push snow around but with wind and fog, we tend to be more at the mercy of Mother Nature." http://www.rgj.com/article/20110215/NEWS/110215057/1321/NEWS Back to Top Congressman wants passenger rights to become a law Washington (CNN) -- Airlines in the United States will carry a billion passengers a year by 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration predicted Tuesday -- raising the prospect of even more flight delays and complaints from the flying public. "That's why I'm introducing the Air Passenger Bill of Rights of 2011," Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, announced Tuesday on Capitol Hill. "Many airlines have shown that they can't or won't put the needs of their passengers first." Thompson's bill would make current passenger protections permanent and extend them to everyone flying into or out of the United States. It would require all airlines to provide water, food, working toilets, ventilation and the option for passengers to deplane if there is an extended delay. The measure would include all carriers flying in or out of the country, including non-U.S.-based airlines. It's the third time Thompson has introduced this legislation. The previous two bills failed to get off the ground. The first measure was inspired by the incident four years ago today in which a JetBlue flight bound for Cancun, Mexico, sat on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for hours. Passengers received little to no information about the situation, they said. "One of the pilots should get out here and have a mini-press conference," passenger Sarah Greenberg said in a phone call to CNN on February 15, 2007, as the plane sat on the tarmac. "The longer they wait, the more people are going to get upset. It's Psychology 101." The plane was like a "sound-proofed coffin" when the windows were iced over, Carolyn Faucher, another stranded passenger, said at the time. Even though Thompson's bill failed, many of the regulations in it were included in the Department of Transportation's "Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections" policy that went into effect in April 2010. The major difference is that the Department of Transportation's policy only applies to U.S. domestic airlines flying within the United States. International flights by U.S.-based airlines can set their own rules and non-U.S. carriers are exempt. The current policy mandates that the air carrier "provide adequate food and potable water no later than 2 hours after the aircraft leaves the gate...or touches down." It also states that a passenger plane cannot remain on the tarmac for more than three hours, unless the pilot determines it is unsafe to move the aircraft. Airlines can face fines up to $27,500 dollars per incident if these rules are broken, but according to the FAA, no airlines have been fined since the new regulations started. The FAA says it's currently investigating 148 alleged violations of the three-hour tarmac rule. The Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents the airline industry, tells CNN that a bill is "not needed" and that airlines are already complying with the three-hour tarmac rule. The ATA also says that in 2010, airlines experienced the lowest number ever of three-hour or longer tarmac delays. The FAA predicts some 737 million passengers will board U.S. airlines in 2011. Kate Hanni, founder of the passenger advocacy group Flyersrights.org, says before the Department of Transportation changed its rules, her organization received thousands of consumer complaints about tarmac delays on the group's hotline. After the rule change, she says, the phones stopped ringing. "We went radio-silent on tarmac delays," she said. Thompson and Hanni say legislation is needed to enforce passengers' rights, even though tarmac delays are on the decline, because the current regulations are not laws -- and regulations can be changed. "Things are moving in the right direction, but it needs to be strengthened," Hanni said. Back to Top UPS Expands Boeing Airplane Health Management to MD-11 Fleet World's largest package delivery company to further enhance airplane maintenance SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that UPS will expand its Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM) coverage to include its MD-11 Freighter fleet, in addition to the 747-400 Freighter fleet, which already utilizes AHM. AHM is an information-driven system that helps airlines better prepare and manage unscheduled maintenance events. The expanded agreement covers 38 MD-11 Freighters and 13 747-400 Freighter and Boeing Converted Freighter airplanes. "AHM allows aircraft maintenance personnel to be prepared to work unexpected aircraft exceptions when the aircraft arrives and will greatly streamline our operation," said Warren Johnson, vice president, Maintenance and Engineering, UPS Airlines. "This will help increase the fleet's on-time performance which is a great benefit to our customers," said Mitch Nichols, UPS Airlines president. The large UPS freighters will feature the AHM Real Time Fault Management Module, which communicates in-flight information to ground stations for diagnosis and real-time operational decisions, using troubleshooting and historical fix success data. The airline uses this information to organize any needed maintenance operations and position the necessary people, parts and equipment. "Airlines need to have their aircraft generating revenue, so maintenance efficiency is an important initiative," said Dennis Floyd, vice president of Fleet Services for Commercial Aviation Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "AHM delivers relevant information whenever and wherever it is needed while the airplane is still en route." Airplane Health Management works through the MyBoeingFleet.com portal. Alerts and notifications are delivered to airline personnel through the Internet, fax, personal digital assistants, e-mail and pager services. Airplane Health Management is a key component in Boeing's larger vision of the e-enabled airline, where information technology, connectivity and strategic integration promise greater efficiency and improved airline operations. UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain and freight services. With more than a century of experience in transportation and logistics, UPS is a leading global trade expert equipped with a broad portfolio of solutions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and can be found on the Web at UPS.com. Back to Top 2010 an average year for aviation safety In 2010, a total of 816 people worldwide lost their lives in accidents involving aircraft, which is a slightly lower number than the annual average of 830 deaths, according to the NLR-Air Transport Safety Institute (NLR-ATSI). 2010 was an average year regarding aviation safety, with 152 accidents involving commercial aircraft reported worldwide, of which 26 had fatal consequences for the people on board. Over the past ten years there has been an average of 135 accidents per year, of which 28 resulted in fatalities. These figures pertain to commercial aircraft weighing more than 5.7 tons. Of the 26 fatalities recorded in 2010, only one was in Europe. The probability of a fatal crash occurring in 2010 was comparable to the average probability for the previous three years (approximately 1 fatal crash per 1.5 million flights). There has only been marginal improvement in aviation safety since 2006, and in Europe, the United States and other regions a similar trend has occurred. This trend has seemingly continued in 2010. In 2010, the largest aviation disaster happened in India, where an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 overran a runway at Mangalore-Bajpe airport, killing 158 people. In 2010 a total of 85 runways excursions were reported worldwide, with half of these incidents resulting in damage to the aircraft and three resulting in fatalities. At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol a Boeing 737 was unable to stop during landing, but this runway excursion did not result in fatalities or damage to the aircraft. A major crash in 2010 was that of an Afriqiyah Airways A330, which killed 103 people, the majority of whom were Dutch. The aircraft crashed short of the runway during a landing at Tripoli airport. Bird strikes continued to present safety problems. Approximately 20,000 bird strikes occurred worldwide in 2010, but only a relatively limited number of these resulted in major incidents. In the Netherlands such an incident occurred involving a Royal Air Morocco B737 that struck a flock of geese upon takeoff from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In 2010, cargo planes were once again involved in a relatively large number of accidents. Of the 26 fatal accidents worldwide, 6 involved cargo planes. The probability of a cargo plane being involved in an accident is more than 10 times greater than for a passenger plane. http://www.atc-network.com/News/37162/2010-an-average-year-for-aviation- safety Back to Top Aviation as a Career Choice Survey If you are currently employed in an aviation career field, your assistance is needed! Researchers at Middle Tennessee State University are conducting a survey to explore the factors that influenced you to enter the aviation industry, as well as the factors that continue to influence your career decisions in the industry today. The long term goal of this research project is to determine how best to attract and retain young people in aviation careers. The survey will only take a few minutes, and your help will be greatly appreciated. Please click the following link to complete the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Aviation_Career_Influences_Survey Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC