Flight Safety Information February 24, 2011 - No. 041 In This Issue Aircraft Accident Rate Is Lowest In History Donald Trump buys 757 jet Qantas take-off aborted as jet moves sideways Aja Styles Auditing drives up airline safety performance United's 757 Grounding: What It Really Says About Airline Safety Air Force cadets get UAV pilot training China to have more than 220 airports by 2015 -regulator China:...$227B investment planned in aviation Belarussian carrier Gomelavia ceases operations Senate FAA bill accounts for bilaterals in foreign station inspections Aircraft Accident Rate Is Lowest In History Equivalent To One Accident For Every 1.6 Million Commercial Flights The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the aviation safety performance for 2010 showing that the year's accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft as the lowest in aviation history. The 2010 global accident rate (measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jet aircraft) was 0.61. That is equal to one accident for every 1.6 million flights. This is a significant improvement of the 0.71 rate recorded in 2009 (one accident for 1.4 million flights). The 2010 rate was the lowest in aviation history, just below the 2006 rate of 0.65. Compared to 10 years ago, the accident rate has been cut 42% from the rate recorded in 2001. A hull loss is an accident in which the aircraft is destroyed or substantially damaged and is not subsequently repaired. "Safety is the number one priority. Achieving the lowest accident rate in the history of aviation shows that this commitment is bearing results. Flying is safe. But every fatality is a human tragedy that reminds us of the ultimate goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities. We must remain focused and determined to move closer to this goal year by year," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO. In absolute numbers, 2010 saw the following results: 2.4 billion people flew safely on 36.8 million flights (28.4 million jet, 8.4 million turboprop). 17 hull loss accidents involving western-built jet aircraft compared to 19 in 2009. 94 accidents (all aircraft types, Eastern and Western built) compared to 90 in 2009. 23 fatal accidents (all aircraft types) compared to 18 in 2009. 786 fatalities compared to 685 in 2009. IATA member airlines outperformed the industry average with a Western-built jet hull loss rate of 0.25. That rate is equal to one accident for every 4 million flights. The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) became a condition of IATA membership from 1 April 2009. All 234 IATA member airlines are now on the IOSA registry. The IOSA registry is open to all airlines and it currently consists of over 350 airlines. "The numbers tell the story. In the first full year after the IOSA became a condition of IATA membership, the accident rate for IATA carriers has never been so low. The data confirms that IOSA is helping to drive safety improvements around the world. It is an important part of a comprehensive safety strategy involving governments and industry working together to further reduce the number of accidents and fatalities," said Bisignani (pictured). There are significant regional differences in the Western built jet hull loss accident rate: North America (0.10), Europe (0.45), North Asia (0.34) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (0.0) performed better than the global average of 0.61. Asia-Pacific was higher than the global average at 0.80 in 2010 and about the same from the previous year (0.86). The Middle East and North Africa region saw its accident rate fall significantly to 0.72 (compared to 3.32 in 2009) with only one accident involving a carrier from the region. Latin America & the Caribbean reported a higher accident rate of 1.87 with four airlines from the region involved in accidents, compared with a zero accident rate in 2009. Africa had an accident rate of 7.41, which was lower than the 2009 rate of 9.94. While showing improvement, Africa once again has the worst rate in the world. There were four Western-built jet hull losses with African carriers in 2010. African carriers are 2% of global traffic, but 23% of global western-built jet hull losses. In 2010, the accident rate of IOSA carriers in Africa (for all aircraft types) was more than 50% better than non-IOSA airlines. Among IATA's efforts in Africa, it established the IATA Program for Safe Operations in Africa (IPSOA). IPSOA ensured that flight data analysis tools are available to all IATA carriers in Africa, and as of the last quarter of 2010, all IATA carriers have this essential safety tool in place. IPSOA will provide IATA with the data needed to develop safety programs targeted at specific challenges in the region. "Flying must be equally safe in all parts of the world. An accident rate in Africa that is over 12 times the global average is not acceptable. Improvements can happen. IATA's African carriers performed significantly better than non-IATA airlines in the region. I encourage all governments in the region to make use of the IOSA tool to boost the region's performance," said Bisignani. An analysis of the causes of the 2010 accidents focuses on several areas: Runway excursions, which are instances when an aircraft departs the runway during takeoff or landing, were once again the most common cause of accidents, accounting for 21% of all accidents in 2010 (vs. 26% in 2009). The number of industry runway excursions accidents dropped by 13% (20 vs. 23 in 2009) and IATA members have reduced their runway excursion accidents by 43% since 2008 (4 vs. 7 in 2008). In September 2010, IATA signed an historic agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the US Department of Transportation and the Commission of the European Union to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. This first global private/public partnership will exchange safety information aimed at improving safety by reducing risk. FMI: www.iata.org Back to Top Donald Trump buys 757 jet PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Palm Beach, Fla., resident Donald Trump says he upgraded his personal air transport, replacing his Boeing 727 jet with a 757 model twice the size. The real estate tycoon shelled out $100 million to buy the jet from Microsoft co- founder Paul Allen and wouldn't say whether the jumbo business jet would have the gold-plated luxury appointments of the 727, The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday. "I bought a great airplane," Trump said. "It's being retrofitted and will be in service in about a month." The Post says the plane's size will be handy for cross-country trips if Trump decides to run for president on the Republican ticket. He says he will make that decision in June. Meanwhile, he did say the jet offers a kind of gift to his neighbors. "It's one of the quietest airplanes there is," Trump said. "I did that for the benefit of Palm Beach." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/ Back to Top Qantas take-off aborted as jet moves sideways Aja Styles (AAP) A passenger aboard an aborted Qantas flight out of Perth, bound for Sydney, said the plane nearly ran off the domestic terminal's runway. The take-off of the Qantas A330 passenger jet was aborted when the crew felt a sideways movement of the plane while it was travelling 140km/h along the tarmac, the airline said. Talbot Henry was aboard the flight and said the plane felt as if it had been travelling a lot faster than 140km/h. "It was a big swerve and we nearly went off the runway," he said. "We were in the middle of acceleration, but probably still 5-10 seconds from taking off. "The brakes were hit hard (but controlled) and everyone was thrown forward, but not out of their seats. It was one of the 'ooh, that wasn't good moments', but everyone was physically fine." Sydney-bound Flight 566, with 180 passengers aboard, was racing down the runway at the domestic airport about 3.15pm yesterday when the "rejected take- off" occurred, a Qantas spokesman said. "About 140km/h, which is still well below take-off speed, the flight crew just detected a slight lateral movement in the aircraft which they weren't expecting," he said. "They did what we call a rejected take-off, so they basically hit the brakes and stopped the aircraft." That caused the plane's brakes to heat up and, in line with procedure, Fire and Emergency Services' engines were called for to help cool the brakes before the plane could return to the terminal. "The pilot was pretty good at explaining the need to have fire engines rushed out to us and that they were using water to cool down the engines," Mr Henry said. "You could see some steam coming off, but everyone was calm. We weren't allowed to use our phones at all." Another passenger aboard the Sydney flight reported smoke however Qantas denied that the brakes or tyres caught fire. "The brakes were glowing which is what you would expect when reaching those temperatures," the spokesman said. The plane was back at the terminal at 4.20pm and passengers were looked after while it was determined what caused the problem and how to rectify it, the spokesman said. "There were no safety issues, the crew responded as would be expected." The flight was eventually cancelled since the aircraft was unavailable and the delays meant it had missed its Sydney airport curfew, the spokesman said. Passengers were instead redirected on other flight services that evening and only 20 passengers, mostly local residents, had to spend another night in Perth. They were flown out first thing this morning, the spokesman said. It took Mr Henry 19 hours to return to Sydney, via Brisbane, after all the delays and eventually being redirected on a Jetstar flight. "Once we were back at the terminal though it wasn't well organised. We waited for two hours and then had to queue up at ticketing for another two hours," he said. "No-one made it across to Sydney last night. "There was no accommodation in Perth at all so they couldn't put anyone up in hotels and sent the Perth residents home. Non-Perth residents were put on red- eye flights to either Melbourne or Brisbane (Sydney was full). "From a safety point of view Qantas did the right thing. "We were given $35 in food vouchers, however, they could've done a lot more from a customer service point of view with regards to re-booking." The upset to the Sydney flight also caused some minor delays to passengers aboard other domestic flights, including those onboard an incoming Qantas flight from Melbourne who were delayed 15 minutes from entering the terminal. Back to Top Auditing drives up airline safety performance Last year saw the lowest airline accident rate in history, with just one Western- built hull loss accident per 1.6 million flights, according to data from the International Air Transport Association. IATA has also identified a clear disparity in safety performance between airlines that carry out safety audits and those that do not. After four years of industry preparation for the full introduction of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), 2009 was the first year in which successful completion of an IOSA and all the associated follow-up procedure became a condition of IATA membership. From 2009 to 2010 there was a dramatic improvement in IATA member airlines' performance as measured by the accident rate: the 234 IATA member carriers improved their average Western-built jet hull loss rate from 0.62 losses per million flights in 2009 to 0.25 in 2010. That also represents a considerable advance on the membership's previous best rate achieved in 2005 (see graph). Meanwhile, the world average Western-built jet hull loss rate for 2010 also reached a best-ever figure of 0.61 losses per million flights. Some 120 non-IATA carriers have also elected to undergo an IOSA, and some countries - such as Nigeria - have elected to make the issue or renewal of an operator's certificate conditional on the airline passing an IOSA. There is still a considerable disparity between safety performance in different world regions (see global map), however, with North America best at a rate of 0.1 hull losses per million flights, and Africa worst at 7.41. Africa's 2010 performance did improve from a rate of 9.94 the previous year. IATA's director general Giovanni Bisignani says: "Flying must become equally safe in all parts of the world. An accident rate in Africa that is over 12 times the global average is not acceptable. Improvements can happen. IATA's African carriers performed significantly better than non-IATA airlines in the region. I encourage all governments in the region to make use of the IOSA tool to boost the region's performance." Last year, says IATA, the accident rate of IOSA carriers in Africa for all aircraft types was more than 50% better than non-IOSA airlines. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/ Back to Top United's 757 Grounding: What It Really Says About Airline Safety Earlier this week, United (UAL) grounded its fleet of 757s after discovering it had failed to check onboard computers after completing maintenance work. The work was done and the fleet is back in the air now, and while some critics remain concerned about the maintenance failure, the real story here is the strength of the safety culture in the airline industry. The problem actually dates back to 2004. In June of that year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required 757 aircraft operators to replace the computers that measure atmospheric conditions. Those conditions are used to calculate airspeed, and accurate airspeed calculation is essential for safety reasons. After the computers were replaced, the airlines were required to have a mechanic perform a check on the computers to ensure that they worked. United apparently skipped that last step. Sloppy maintenance - but good self-reporting This certainly does bring up questions about sloppy maintenance practices back when the work was done, but the more interesting story in my mind is around the safety reporting culture that has grown around this industry. United wasn't caught by the FAA or any other group. It discovered the problem itself. Here we are, five years after the directive was issued, and no problems with airspeed measurement had been experience by the airline. In many industries, this might be something that you just chalk up to being a mistake and perform the checks over time when airplanes have a free moment. After all, they had been flying for a long time without any problems. But when it comes to air travel, there is no gray area. United reported the problem to the FAA and grounded its fleet of 757s until the roughly one-hour checks could be performed. With around 100 airplanes needing the checks, that meant a lot of canceled flights and inconvenienced passengers. It also cost the airline a lot of money. The fact that airlines report freely like this is an incredibly important piece of our national aviation system and it's one reason why air travel is such a safe endeavor. Other industries with great safety concerns could stand to benefit from creating a safety culture like this. http://www.bnet.com/blog/airline-business/ Back to Top Air Force cadets get UAV pilot training NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Air Force Academy cadets will receive unmanned aircraft flight training under a $2.2 million contract to BOSH Global Services of Virginia. The training, which will incorporate AAI's Aerosonde Mark 4.7 Unmanned Aircraft System, will familiarize cadets with unmanned aircraft operations and provide basic instruction in Air and Space Operations Center and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The award is for one year, with a one-year renewal option. BOSH became the inaugural provider of the Air Force Academy's Remotely Piloted Aircraft cadet training program in 2009 when it was selected to provide the first course of this kind at a U.S. military service academy. The training features academic and practical instruction in RPA flight operations. In addition to command-and-control and ISR-related concepts, the course introduces ground force scenarios and remote video receivers. Since developing its initial Air Force Academy's course, BOSH has expanded its RPA training program to include a pre-deployment Small UAS schoolhouse at Choctaw Field, Fla., where it similarly trains Air Force Battlefield Airmen and Special Operations Command personnel on their way to overseas combat zones. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security- Industry/2011/02/24/Air-Force-cadets-get-UAV-pilot-training/UPI- 14321298550588/#ixzz1Et4pIt9b Back to Top China to have more than 220 airports by 2015 -regulator BEIJING (Reuters) - China will add more than 45 airports over the next five years, bringing the total to more than 220, despite the dire financial situation of many regional airports, the country's top aviation regulator said on Thursday. China is in the midst of a major airport expansion, planning four major hubs in the country and developing aviation links to its poorer and more remote regions in the far west. But many of these new airports have struggled to attract customers and languish with just a few flights a week, or none at all. Out of the country's existing 175 airports, around 130 are in the red with combined loss of 1.68 billion yuan last year, Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China told reporters. Government subsidies for airports amounted to 6 billion yuan from 2006 to 2010, and Li pledged continuous financial aid as airports would be a boost to local economies, especially in remote areas, in the longer term, he said. In the period to 2015, Beijing will invest 1.5 trillion yuan (about $230 billion) in the aviation sector, he said, but did not specify how much would be spent on airports. Air travel is developing rapidly in China amid a booming economy, bolstering the bottom lines of Air China (601111.SS) (0753.HK), China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS) 670.HK and other carriers. The combined fleet size of Chinese airlines is expected to jump to around 5,000 planes as of the end of 2015, up from 2,600 units at the end of last year, Li said. Out China's 43 carriers, 35 are state-controlled. Li, the former chairman of Air China, pledged to support private participation in the sector, adding that three new private carriers had already submitted their applications. When asked to estimate the impact of surging fuel prices on Chinese airlines, he said major carriers had already raised their fuel surcharges recently, adding the government would not intervene in their normal hedging practices. Back to Top China: $227B investment planned in aviation BEIJING, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- China, noting the growth of its aviation sector, Thursday announced a $227 billion investment in five years for various projects, including 45 new airports. Civil Aviation Administration Director Li Jiaxiang said the planned investment by 2015 will far exceed the $152 billion invested in the aviation industry in the past five years, Xinhua news agency reported. The 45 new airports, when completed, will bring to more than 220 the number of airports in the country. Li said China also plans to expand its aircraft fleet to more than 4,500 by 2015, from the current 2,600 at the end of last year. Details of other projects, if any, were not available. Xinhua, quoting official statistics, said China's airline companies together earned a hefty 35.1 billion yuan or $5.34 billion last year. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2011/02/24/227B-investment- planned-in-aviation/UPI-54841298548917/#ixzz1Et7Te4nt Back to Top Belarussian carrier Gomelavia ceases operations Belarussian state-owned carrier Gomelavia has ceased all operations indefinitely. On its website, the carrier says it terminated all services on 22 February. It does not give any further details. A source in the carrier's accounts department says that Gomelavia has chosen to save resources following low cabin loads and rising costs during the winter season. "We will refund for the unused tickets in full," he adds. Alongside charter flights, the Gomel-based airline provided scheduled services to Minsk, Kaliningrad and Moscow using three Antonov An-24 turboprops. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Senate FAA bill accounts for bilaterals in foreign station inspections Even though the US Senate has included language in its recently passed FAA Reauthorisation bill requiring bi-annual inspections of foreign repair stations, ATI has learned the intent is if a bilateral maintenance agreement is in place with the USA, the local country could be permitted to conduct the inspections. Previous proposed FAA Reauthorisation bills by both the House and Senate have included provisions for twice-yearly inspections of foreign repair stations, which drew ire from the maintenance industry, and from EASA. The European safety agency at one point warned the requirement would "contravene the confidence built into the regulatory oversight carried out by both parties [FAA and EASA]". The FAA tells ATI that it is still waiting for the formal exchange of diplomatic notes with EASA to formalise the safety bilateral between the two agencies. Although the Senate bill keeps language in place requiring the inspections, it also states the examinations should be carried out "in a manner consistent with United States obligations under international agreements". The US-based Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) states that while the Senate bill provides some flexibility for the US bilateral agreements, "the House has crafted a much more workable provision that will ensure more effective FAA oversight of foreign and domestic repair stations, allow the industry to build on its outstanding safety record, and ensure the continued competitiveness of the US maintenance industry". Specifically, ARSA explains the House bill calls for risk-based inspections, and requires FAA to consider inspection results from foreign civil aviation authorities operating under a maintenance agreement with the US. ARSA also explains the House bill that has passed committee subjects all Part 145 repair station employees responsible for safety sensitive maintenance functions on Part 121 aircraft to be subject to drug and alcohol testing consistent with the laws of the country where the repair station is located. House sources tell ATI that chamber's version of FAA Reauthorisation should be introduced on the floor in early March. Once the House passes it version, it will need to convene with the Senate to resolve differences in each chamber's reauthorisation bill in a formal conference before a final bill is approved. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC