Flight Safety Information March 14, 2011 - No. 053 In This Issue Pilot injured in Southern Calif. helicopter crash Suspicious activity on Alaska Airlines jet turns out to be prayers Smoky jet makes emergency Colorado landing Fake marksheets: Another Air India pilot arrested Plane targeted by laser light in Sydney (Australia) Passenger joke leads to airport shutdown in NY TSA orders 're-tests' of radiation levels on airport body scanners Catalyst for oxygen generator directive remains unclear Aeroflot Orders Eight 777s Pilot injured in Southern Calif. helicopter crash EL SEGUNDO, Calif.(AP) -- Authorities say a helicopter lifting a load at an office complex near Los Angeles has crashed and caught fire, seriously injuring the pilot. Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Geyer says the Sikorsky aircraft went down Sunday morning while lifting an air-conditioning unit off the roof of a building at the Raytheon plant in El Segundo, about one mile south of Los Angeles International Airport. The helicopter plunged into a patio area, setting the building's first and second floors ablaze. Geyer says the fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes. Nobody on the ground was injured. Federal Aviation Spokesman Mike Fergus says the pilot was pulled from the cockpit just before the aircraft burst into flames. The pilot was taken to a hospital. Fergus says the Sikorsky was completely destroyed. Back to Top Suspicious activity on Alaska Airlines jet turns out to be prayers Police and FBI agents responded Sunday to reports of three men acting suspiciously on an Alaska Airlines flight inbound to Los Angeles but determined that the trio had been praying and posed no threat. Several passengers reported their concerns to the flight crew after seeing what they thought were wires or other items being used by the men as the plane approached Los Angeles International Aiport at about 8:40 a.m., said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. The men, described as Mexican nationals, were taken off the plane and interviewed and the objects were determined to be leather artifacts used for an orthodox prayer ritual, Eimiller said. "There were some individuals who didn't understand the nature of the activities and reported their concerns," Eimiller said. "The men were cooperative and were released a short time later and there were no charges." Alaska Airline flight 241 was inbound from Mexico City with a stop in Los Angeles before departing overseas, Eimiller said. Other passengers were not delayed, she said. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ Back to Top Smoky jet makes emergency Colorado landing COLORADO SPRINGS, March 13 (UPI) -- A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing Sunday in Colorado Springs after smoke filled the cockpit, the airport said. The Boeing 737 landed safely at 11:42 a.m. and will be inspected once the passengers are out, Agnes Blachut, spokeswoman for the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, told The Denver Post. None of the 141 passengers was hurt, she said. The plane took off from Phoenix but its destination was not immediately known. It carried 8,000 pounds of fuel. Back to Top Fake marksheets: Another Air India pilot arrested An AIR India pilot has been arrested for allegedly using forged marksheets to procure a commercial flying licence from the country's airline regulator, the police said on Sunday. The arrest, second in the past one week, comes following the scrutiny of the licences of as many as 3000 to 4000 pilots by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The accused has been identified as Captain J K Verma, a resident of north Delhi. He is in his forties and was apprehended late on Saturday night following police investigations into a complaint filed by the DGCA. DGCA, in its complaint, had told the police that they doubted the veracity of documents provided by several pilots. Verma was found to have forged marksheets of the Pilot License Examination (PLE) which is essential for obtaining a commercial flying licence, a senior police officer said. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ Back to Top Plane targeted by laser light in Sydney (Australia) A PASSENGER plane has been targeted by a laser light as it flew into Sydney from the Sunshine Coast. The aircraft was about five kilometres off Bondi Beach when a green-coloured laser was pointed at it about 9pm last night, police said. The pilot said it appeared to come from the Redfern or Surry Hills area in the inner-city. The plane landed safely at Sydney Domestic Airport. The attack comes after a Sydney bus driver was forced to stop mid-route after a green laser was shone into his eyes from the passenger seat of an oncoming vehicle last week. Police have reminded the public that pointing lasers at aircraft is illegal and dangerous. http://www.news.com.au/ Back to Top Passenger joke leads to airport shutdown in NY ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Rochester's airport has reopened after being closed for several hours due to a bomb scare. The Democrat and Chronicle newspaper reports that the Greater Rochester International Airport was back to normal at 9:30 a.m. Saturday after a shutdown that lasted about three hours. Authorities with the Monroe County Sheriff's office told the newspaper that the incident was sparked when a man trying to buy a ticket made a joke about having a bomb in one of his bags. Officials were concerned because he had arrived at the airport without a reservation and acted strangely "stoic" when authorities attempted to interview him. During the shut-down, the man's luggage was X-rayed in a secure vehicle and bomb- sniffing dogs swept the terminal. Back to Top TSA orders 're-tests' of radiation levels on airport body scanners (CNN) The Transportation Security Administration on Friday ordered re-testing of all radiation-emitting full-body scanners after an internal review showed calculation errors, missing data and other discrepancies on paperwork by contractors who routinely check the machines' radiation levels. As recently as Wednesday, the agency vouched for the safety of the machines, with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano telling a Senate committee that independent studies concluded the machines are "more then safe." "The amount of radiation is approximately (the same as that received) as two minutes in the air," Napolitano said. Back to Top Catalyst for oxygen generator directive remains unclear Few details have emerged as to the catalyst behind the US FAA's order to deactivate chemical oxygen generators in aircraft lavatories. The chemical nature of the generators and the privacy afforded by the lavatory cubicle might suggest a potential security threat, and sources familiar with the situation have told ATI that the directive, originally issued in February, is considered security-sensitive. But there is no evidence of a specific incident having prompted the decision. The US FAA simply states that the design of the generators present "a hazard that could jeopardise flight safety". The directive ordered the deactivation or removal of oxygen generators in lavatories in short- and long-haul aircraft - although certain types, such as the Airbus A380, are not affected. The A380's design features use of gaseous oxygen supply in these zones. Oxygen generators typically comprise a canister with a trigger pin, which is released when the passenger tugs the attached face-mask. This action discharges a small detonating percussion cap - featuring the explosive lead styphnate - which then supplies an initiating energy to a mix of chemicals inside the canister. The chemicals typically include sodium chlorate as an oxidizing core, which starts decomposing after being heated by the percussion cap, reducing to sodium chloride and liberating the excess oxygen as gas. The internal mix also includes barium peroxide and potassium perchlorate. This chemical reaction is highly exothermic, generating temperatures of 200-250°C, and produces oxygen for about 15min. Oxygen-rich enclosures would aid the development of fire, while continuous generation of oxygen from a canister would be likely to sustain a blaze. Oxygen generators are considered hazardous cargo, and were determined to have been the source of the fire which destroyed a ValuJet McDonnell Douglas DC-9 in 1996. Following the directive, there will be greater emphasis on cabin crew to check lavatories in the event of depressurisation. While the European Aviation Safety Agency has not adopted the FAA directive, the source states that this is due to the situation not falling under EASA's mandate. But it is being handled by European authorities at national level. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Aeroflot Orders Eight 777s Russian Carrier Gearing Up For Olympics, FIFA World Cup The Russian national airline Aeroflot said Wednesday that it had place an order for six Boeing 777-300ERs (extended range) and two Boeing 777-200ERs. The order was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website. "These Boeing 777 airplanes will strengthen our network strategy, particularly the international growth opportunities we expect from our joint businesses with SkyTeam partners when servicing the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup," said Vitaly Saveliev, general director of Aeroflot Russian Airlines. "We value the combination of size, range and performance of the 777 airplanes, as well as the extensive customer amenities they offer. The seating capability of the aircraft will give us growth flexibility in slot-constrained airports and provide us with greater ability to serve new long-haul markets." "Aeroflot is one of the world's most innovative and fastest growing airlines," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 777 has the payload- range capability, economic efficiency and passenger comfort to support Aeroflot in achieving its ambitious goals for growth, profitability and world-class service. We thank Aeroflot for this important order." Russia is an important supplier for the Boeing 777 family. VSMPO, subsidiary of Rostechnologii State Corporation, manufactures large titanium forgings for landing gears, wings and pylon of the 777 jetliner. Russian engineers at the Moscow Boeing Design Center and IT experts from Russian software companies actively participated in designing the 777-300ER airplanes. Aeroflot is a member of SkyTeam, the global airline alliance. To date, seven out of 12 SkyTeam members have ordered a total of 141 777s. Aeroflot's overall flight network comprises 898 locations in 169 countries. In 2010, 11.3 million passengers used Aeroflot's services and about 13 million used the services offered by the Aeroflot group. FMI: www.boeing.com Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC