Flight Safety Information March 15, 2011 - No. 054 In This Issue Airline crew stops drunk pilots from flying 'AI ignored safety rules during fire' Japan Disaster Could Disrupt Boeing Aircraft Production In 'Several Weeks' Boeing aims to fly 747-8 Intercontinental Sunday Quake & Tsunami Shake U.S. Airlines ATR wins certification to operate in colder conditions Airline crew stops drunk pilots from flying Crew members stopped two drunken Mexican pilots from leaving Costa Rica with an Aeromexico flight carrying 101 passengers to Mexico, a Costa Rican aviation official said on Monday. "One of them, the co-pilot, tested positive for alcohol while the captain refused to do the test," Alvaro Vargas, deputy director of Costa Rican Civil Aviation, said. The Boeing 737-700 had been due to leave Costa Rica for Mexico City on Saturday, but was delayed 24 hours to wait for replacement pilots, Vargas said, adding Costa Rican officials were investigating the incident. "I don't think the passengers knew the real reason why the flight was suspended," he added. Aeromexico apologised for the incident in a statement in Mexico City on Monday. The pilots "were not in a fit condition" to fly and had been dismissed, at least until the end of the investigation, the statement said. The passengers had been compensated for the inconvenience, it added. According to Costa Rican newspaper Extra, the pilots had said they felt nauseous on arriving at the airport on Saturday, seven hours after attending a party in a San Jose hotel. Aeromexico is part of the Skyteam alliance which includes Delta, Air France-KLM, Alitalia, Aeroflot, Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines. (AFP) Back to Top 'AI ignored safety rules during fire' A probe by the aviation regulator has found several safety lapses by Air India staff while evacuating 213 passengers from a Mumbai-Riyadh flight after a fire broke out in the aircraft on September 4, 2009. Twenty-one passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. In the re port released last month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concluded that the AI's aircraft maintenance engineer failed to notice a fuel leak from the left side of aircraft before clearing it for take-off. "The engineer had left the bay without giving the final take-off clearance because it was raining," the report said. Second, the airline ground staff were unable to report the fire to the pilots because the cockpit crew had switched off the radio communication equipment, violating the airline's operation manual. Worse, both the pilots left the aircraft before the evacuation process was complete and not a single cabin crew member was deployed at the end of the inflated emergency slides to assist passengers. "It could have been dangerous. Some passengers were running towards to active runway close to the bay where the evacuation took place," said a DGCA official requesting anonymity, The report also blamed the airline engineers for failing to check the aircraft's fuel channel during routine inspection. "Constant wear and tear caused massive fuel leakage and fire," said the report. An airport follow-me vehicle informed the air traffic controller on duty about the fuel leak but he wasted significant time in alerting the pilots, the report stated. "As per rules, the controller should have called the aircraft crew by its registration number but it kept calling the flight number," read the report. The cockpit crew switched off the aircraft engine but was late to start the evacuation process. The cabin crew also overlooked hand signals about the fire from the ground staff. http://www.hindustantimes.com/ Back to Top Japan Disaster Could Disrupt Boeing Aircraft Production In 'Several Weeks' TOKYO -- Boeing aircraft production could be affected in "several weeks" if the supply of parts from key Japanese manufacturers is disrupted, the head of Boeing's commercial airlines unit said on Monday. Jim Albaugh told CNBC that "We have a little bit of stock, but not much," and that Boeing "will have issues" if the disruption lasts "several weeks." At the main manufacturing facility south of Tokyo in Nagoya, work on production lines was stopped for a short time after the quake, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News anchor Chris Egert, reporting from Tokyo. Mitsubishi, the 787 wing maker, had to evacuate its buildings. But work quickly started back up, he said. Parts of several Boeing aircraft are made in Japan: 16 percent of the 767, 21 percent of the 777 and 35 percent of the 787. All 200 of Boeing's workers in Japan are fine, officials told Egert. Thirty of the company's workers are from Western Washington. Egert said there's been an eerie feeling in Tokyo as uncertainty about nuclear power plants to the north and the strong possibility of another major quake weighs on people there. On a normal Monday at noon, the area outside Boeing's offices in Tokyo would be packed with people, but many workers were told to stay home because of power outages and transportation problems. "I'm going home. Just came in to pick up my computer, so I can work from home," said Rob Henderson, a Boeing employee. Many workers at the Boeing office are going home early for the day. Others, like Henderson, are glued to the TV, looking for the latest information. "People who've come to work can come to work. Those who can work from home are working from home. Obviously, the trains aren't running their normal service, so we can't get everybody in at the moment," said Henderson. The risk of aftershocks is causing tension, Henderson said. "Who's to know where the next one is going to be?" said Henderson. Egert said there have been no delays of major Boeing programs so far, but with a 70 percent chance of a major aftershock in the coming days, "all bets are off." http://www.kirotv.com/news/27189627/detail.html Back to Top Boeing aims to fly 747-8 Intercontinental Sunday The curtain falls, revealing Boeing's new 747-8 Intercontinental on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at the Boeing plant in Everett. Boeing is targeting Sunday for first flight of the 747-8 Intercontinental, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Albaugh said Monday at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading conference, according to FlightBlogger. Boeing completed the first engine runs on the aircraft last week and gauntlet testing (which simulates flight) over the weekend. A go-ahead on the flight would follow a readiness review later this week, Albaugh said. The 747-8 Intercontinental is the passenger version of Boeing's latest, largest 747. The company rolled out the first Intercontinental Feb. 13 (photos) and is scheduled to deliver the first jet late this year. Also Monday, FlightBlogger, AKA Jon Ostrower, quoted Avitas senior vice president Adam Pilarski betting Boeing will announce a program to outfit its 737 with new engines at the Paris air show, despite executives' statements that they will probably opt instead for a new airplane. This would follow Airbus' decision to re-engine its A320 Family. But Ostrower also quoted Albaugh saying he'll take Pilarski's bet. Finally, replying to a question from Ostrower, Albaugh acknowledged that the first 787s delivered won't meet the model's performance specs. http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/ Back to Top Quake & Tsunami Shake U.S. Airlines The March 11 tsunami interrupted air traffic at most Japanese airports. The U.S. airlines cancelled most flights to and from Japan following the calamity. While the Sendai airport remains flooded, the Narita Airport, the main international gateway into Japan, is also closed. Haneda, Japan's busiest airport has, however, reopened. Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL - Analyst Report), which operates more flights in Japan than any other U.S. carrier, cancelled 29 out of its 60 daily flights in and out of Tokyo as a result of runway and facility closures. United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL - Analyst Report), the largest U.S. airline, diverted seven United and two Continental flights, and cancelled ten United and one Continental flights. American Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation (AMR - Snapshot Report), also cancelled all its flights to the affected country on the day of the disaster. However, the major airlines have rerouted their flights and are offering several alternatives to exchange or ticket refunds. United, Delta and American Airlines are currently waiving fees for passengers to rebook flights to Japan. These moves might raise operating costs of U.S. airlines even more. But these costs can be passed on to passengers in the form of extra fee or fare hike, a move that has already happened six times this year. In our opinion, the tsunami is a temporary concern for the airline industry, which is on a recovery path owing to strong demand for air travel. Customer attitude toward ticket price hikes, to counter escalating fuel prices, has also been positive so far. In this regard, the drop in oil price to below $100 a barrel post-tsunami might work in favor of the U.S. airline industry. In a desperate attempt to control the situation, U.S. carriers have resumed their services to Japan and diverted their flights to other airports. Although the airlines are trying to keep losses at bay, we have to wait and watch how well the alternatives, like rerouting, waiver policies and persistent fare hikes, work. We are currently maintaining our long-term Neutral rating on Delta Airlines and United Continental Holdings. http://www.zacks.com/stock/news Back to Top ATR wins certification to operate in colder conditions ATR has won certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) to operate its 42-500 and 72-500 aircraft at ground temperatures as low as -45?C (-113?F). Both aircraft models, as well as previous ATR 72 models, had already been certified by EASA and the US FAA to operate in ground temperatures as low as -35?C. The new certification will be provided to ATR -500 series aircraft as well as previous ATR 72 models which have integrated specific operational recommendations. ATR says it will now apply for -45?C ground operations certification from the FAA. The new certification will enable the ATR 42-500 and the 72-500 to operate in cold climates such as those found in Siberia as well as parts of Northern Europe and the USA. Russian carrier Nordstar announced earlier today that it had placed an order for up to seven ATR 42-500s because the aircraft will be fitted with special features to enable them to operate in Siberia and the far north of Russia. ATR says it has also initiated a process with IAC to certify its aircraft for operations on unpaved runways in the Russian Federation. It already holds EASA certification for this purpose. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC