Flight Safety Information March 28, 2011 - No. 063 In This Issue NTSB to FAA: Decouple controller duty Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing In Ocean MIA cancels 79 flights, 41 more delayed on Sunday due to fuel farm fire damage Indonesia airport foils smugglers with 40 pythons Moving beyond the black box Inquiry details crashed Ethiopian 737's erratic flightpath Air China to retire 49 aircraft FAA Installs 150th Alaska Weather Camera To Promote Safer Skies Masters Degree Survey NTSB to FAA: Decouple controller duty The US National Transportation Safety Board has issued a recommendation to the FAA to prohibit air traffic controllers from providing supervisory oversight while performing operational air traffic duties. The action is not directly related to this week's admission by a Washington National tower controller that he fell asleep while working alone on the midnight shift, his fourth such consecutive shift. But the net effect of the recommendation could address the problem by requiring at least two controllers to be on duty. At National early on the morning of 23 March, several aircraft were attempting to land but could not contact the tower after receiving a handoff from terminal radar approach controllers. Two aircraft ultimately landed at the airport using "uncontrolled airport" procedures before the controller came back on line. The NTSB lists several examples of recent incidents that occurred when individual controllers were attempting to both perform supervisory and air traffic control duties, leading to errors. One occurred at Washington Dulles International airport in Setember 2007, when a controller-in-charge (CIC) was also manning all positions in the tower while a second controller was on break. The CIC cleared a Learjet 35 for takeoff on a closed, unlit runway that had been occupied by a work crew just before the departure. No one was injured and the aircraft was not damaged in the incursion. While regulations allow controllers to perform both functions "on a limited basis such as during periods of low activity" the NTSB says it is "unrealistic to expect an ATC team or a lone controller to consistently predict periods of low activity in an ATC environment". In response to the Washington National incident, FAA administrator Randy Babbitt says the FAA is "instituting an interim plan" to ensure the situation does not happen again while the agency reviews "overnight staffing at selected airports around the country". The interim plan requires terminal radar approach controllers to contact towers before handing off an incoming aircraft "to confirm that there is a controller prepared to handle the incoming flight". "In addition, I have reminded all air traffic controllers that proper procedures dictate that they must offer pilots the option to divert to another airport if they do not make contact with the control tower," says Babbitt. "Finally, I have ordered a nationwide review of the air traffic control system to confirm the appropriate backup procedures and equipment are in place and in use." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing In Ocean Coast Guard Rescues Pilot, Passenger A helicopter makes an emergency landing in the Atlantic Ocean, about 20 miles east of Miami. MIAMI -- The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a pilot whose helicopter made an emergency landing in the Atlantic Ocean. A helicopter made an emergency landing in the water Sunday, about 20 miles east of Miami. The Coast Guard was called and rescued the helicopter pilot and passenger. It wasn't known what caused the pilot to make the emergency landing. No injuries were reported. http://www.wpbf.com/news/27342144/detail.html Back to Top MIA cancels 79 flights, 41 more delayed on Sunday due to fuel farm fire damage Flight cancellations and delays continued at Miami International Airport days after a fuel farm fire. The good news: The number was decreasing. Fuel fire at MIA delays flightsA fire which damaged the fuel pumping system for planes at Miami International Airport is causing many delays and cancelled flights Thursday, March 24, 2011.Miami Herald Studios Fuel fire at MIA delays flights A fire which damaged the fuel pumping system for planes at Miami International Airport is causing many delays and cancelled flights Thursday, March 24, 2011. In the ongoing recovery from last week's fuel fire, 79 flights were canceled Sunday, a drop from 143 the day before and higher numbers during the week. The bulk of the cancelations came from American and American Eagle airlines. They reported a total of 70 cancelations: 35 departing and 35 inbound flights. And the airport and airlines were optimistic that those numbers would continue to drop as the week continues with the help of temporary pumps being installed to get the fuel system used to fill-up planes back to nearly full capacity. "While we're certainly not out of the woods yet, we are much better than we were the first couple days," American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said But flying out of Miami still isn't back to normal. Overall delays at the airport went up, from 28 on Saturday to 85 on Sunday. Smith repeated the traditional travel wisdom often repeated to passengers: Check early and often with your airline before heading to MIA. And if you're calling their customer service hotline, he also suggested callers have some patience - the line has been getting more calls than normal. Damage caused by Wednesday night's massive fire at the airport's fuel tanks disrupted a system designed to deliver large amounts of fuel to many airplanes quickly. With that routine crippled, the following days saw hundreds of flights canceled. The tanks - known collectively as a fuel farm - together hold eight million gallons of fuel feeding 14 underground pumps that send 2,000 gallons of fuel each hour to trucks near terminals to refuel airplanes. The tanks hold more than half the airport's fuel supplies. On Sunday, the airport took another step toward restoring the system by installing two temporary pumps that would help move fuel. The pumps were being tested and calibrated on Sunday, airport spokeswoman Maria Levrant said. Officials hope to get four more temporary pumps installed and working during the week. They hope to have that accomplished by the middle of the week. "They are working feverishly to put them together and start installing them," Levrant said. "That's their number one priority, getting the next four pumps installed." The fuel comes to the airport via Everglades Pipeline, which runs in a 35-mile arc west from Port Everglades through Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, Miramar and Hialeah before reaching the airport. It transmits about 55,000 barrels of jet fuel each day. Officials said the Everglades Pipeline showed no damage from the fire. The damaged fuel farm meant Sunday was another day of delivering much of the fuel to planes with trucks. Smith said 12 tanker trucks zipped back and forth between the fuel farm and gates with deliveries. Smith said some flights were departing from Miami with enough fuel to reach another airport, like Orlando, and would fully fill up there before going on to their final destination. Some inbound planes made sure to carry more fuel than they needed when flying into Miami, so they could take in less fuel when they arrived. "We just keep finding different ways to tweak this," Smith said. "We're not home free yet, but we're finding some additional ways to cope." Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/27/2137083/mia-cancels-80-flights- on-sunday.html#ixzz1HtxSnZfu Back to Top Indonesia airport foils smugglers with 40 pythons JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian airport officials said they had foiled an attempt by two Kuwaitis to smuggle 40 pythons in their luggage. Suspects Yaqub Ebrahim and Ali Hasan were caught Friday at Jakarta's international airport as they tried to carry the sedated serpents onto an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai. "From many foiled cases, people often use the flights to Dubai to smuggle illegal animals," Salahudin Rafi, operational and technical director at airport operator Angkasa Pura II, said in an emailed statement to AFP. He said the suspects usually sedated the animals so officers could not detect them. "For the sake of flight safety and security, no animals are allowed to be brought onto aircraft without permission and special handling. Especially pythons, which are considered as wild animals," Rafi said. The two suspects were questioned by airport authorities and the pythons were taken to the animal quarantine centre at the airport. Back to Top Moving beyond the black box Should any monitored system, part, or flight characteristic vary from assigned norms, this small box will send a real time, encrypted alert via satellite to a ground station, then, immediately to the airline's operations center for assessment and, if necessary, action. Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, focuses on providing aerospace solutions - in both hardware and software platforms - that assist aviation operators worldwide. The development of the real time monitoring system is based on its patented In-Flight Safety Monitoring System technology. It is the first system in the world that features in-flight data monitoring and diagnostics, with real-time secure connections between the aircraft and ground. After eight years in development, the commercialization of the STAR-ISMS comes at a critical moment in aviation history. After the June, 2009 loss of AF-447 in the mid Atlantic - with 228 passengers and crew - the inability of both the French and U.S. Navies to locate the Flight Data Recorder, sent authorities worldwide into a search for a way to avoid such a situation from reoccurring. Although some information was received during the latter stages of the flight through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), the information received gave limited hints of potential problems, and the amount of detail transmitted was insufficient to confirm the probable cause or causes of the accident. STAR-ISMS was conceived in 2002 by Viraf Kapadia, chairman and CEO of Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. Kapadia felt that there existed a real need to be able to both monitor, and analyze, the functioning of the myriad of systems aboard an aircraft, while that aircraft was in flight, and, if necessary, send information concerning potential problems to the ground, all in real time. The system reads data from the aircraft avionics buses (ARINC 717/573 and ARINC 429) and monitors aircraft parameters provided by a variety of avionics. STAR-ISMS has been tested and certified for airworthiness by world transport authorities, including the United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and Transport Canada. Star Navigation Systems Group is actively developing new applications for in- flight medical monitoring, environmental monitoring, and ground-based systems. The web-based tracking position report of STAR-ISMS can be interfaced with third party tracking and/or plotting software, such as Google Earth. The STAR-ISMS STAR-ISMS is an on-board monitoring system that provides a virtual window into an aircraft. It is a proven, cost-effective system that automatically and securely transmits flight data and incident alerts in real-time. It continuously monitors selected avionics systems on the aircraft during flight, instantly analyzing the data, and transmitting desired data and incident alerts via satellite to the operator. Flight Data is stored on a solid state storage inside the Star Server Unit (SSU) - the centerpiece of the STAR-ISMS hardware on board the aircraft. The system analyzes the data in real-time and sends alerts about abnormal parameters and events to the ground along with selected data. The STAR-ISMS uses satellite communication when in the air and WLAN (IEEE 802.11) when on the ground. While time-critical information is sent right away; other information is stored on board and transmitted at lower cost from the ground. The system gives airline ground personnel the ability to monitor trends, predict possible failures, schedule repairs, and assist the flight crew to take preventative action as required. It acts as an early warning system, detecting the earliest signs of potential problems. As a result, airlines can reduce aircraft downtime and flight delays due to unscheduled maintenance, increase compliance to standard operating procedures, and gain efficiencies from the many reports and data feeds available. An illustrated sample of what a real-time alert, sent from the aircraft, would display to those on the ground.Capabilities In addition to acquiring flight and aircraft data from the aircraft avionics busses, the system analyzes the data on the aircraft in real-time. "Contrary to ground-based systems, STAR-ISMS do not require the data to be downloaded from the aircraft before it is analyzed" Kapadia says. "This avoids the high cost of large data transfers through satellite or ACARS while the aircraft is in flight. It also eliminates time delays in reporting characteristic for systems that store the data on the aircraft and only transmit it once the aircraft is on the ground and within reach of a ground based communication network such as WLAN (IEEE 802.11)." The systems on-board data analysis capabilities range from simple bound checking - aircraft pitch within -15° and +25°, to multi-parameter combination checking - aircraft speed less than 250kts below FL 100 - to complex equations with multiple parameters. A set of the most common analyses are pre-defined in STAR-ISMS. Airlines can specify additional analysis to be performed independently for each aircraft or aircraft type. Once on-board analysis identifies an abnormal parameter or combination of parameters, it generates and transmits an alert. The ground station receives the alert, then transmits it to the airline and/or ground personnel (e.g. PDA) via e-mail, subject to local network capabilities. This enables the airline's maintenance department to know the status of the aircraft before it arrives and gives it the opportunity to prepare tools, parts, and resources. As a result, costly flight delays and aircraft downtimes are reduced. At the end of each flight, the system creates a set of reports for various departments within the airline. These reports are available as both formatted reports and as raw data feeds. Formatted reports in PDF format are sent by e-mail and are also available through STAR-ISMS's secure Customer Internet Portal. Raw data feeds are transmitted to the airline's systems through e-mail or file transfer protocol (FTP). A comprehensive pre-defined report set covers the most common and most relevant parameters that are required for awareness, transparency, and decision support, by various departments: ·Flight Operations ·Flight Safety ·System Operations Control ·Maintenance ·Engineering ·Engine Condition Monitoring ·Finance/Administration ·Payroll Engine Condition Monitoring STAR-ISMS fully automates data acquisition and transmission for engine condition monitoring (ECM). All relevant engine parameters are read at various stages of the flight and can be set up to automatically upload into the airline's or engine manufacturer's ECM database via IP internet communication either through satellite communication - when in the air - or through WLAN (IEEE 802.11) when - on the ground. Airlines can specify the set of parameters transmitted, the number of samples recorded during a flight, and the flight phase and/or time at which the samples are recorded. With automated ECM, the airline can collect engine data more frequently and with greater accuracy while reducing pilot workload. Real-time Flight Tracking STAR-ISMS offers real-time flight tracking via satellite communication. The system submits position reports at a user-specified rate (default - every 2 min; max rate - every 30 sec). The parameters are typically set by transmitting the longitude, latitude, altitude, flight number, and ground speed for tracking . Tracking messages are received and processed either by the Star Data Center or by the airline. The tracking data is available through STAR-ISMS's Customer Internet Portal both as position reports, as well as plotted on an interactive map. Certification The STAR-ISMS system is currently certified via Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) by Transport Canada for the following aircrafts: ·Airbus A340-311-312-313 ·Airbus A310-300 ·Boeing 727-277 ·Boeing 737-7CT ·Boeing 737-76N, 737-7CT, 737-832, 737-8Q8 Aircraft are typically certified using a two-stage certification process. First, an Installation STC is applied for to obtain approval for installation of the equipment on the aircraft. The Installation STC is typically issued within a few weeks. Once the Installation STC is provided and the equipment is installed, Transport Canada requires operational certification testing which will need to be scheduled and usually takes from one day to a week. When operational certification testing is satisfactorily completed, Transport Canada will issue an Operational STC - typically within several weeks. The United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) or the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) usually issues certification of equipment like STAR-ISMS based on the Transport Canada STC. Such certification can take from a few weeks to several months. Installation The hardware installed on the aircraft depends on which version is installed. The SSU that houses the Plus system on board the aircraft is installed in the avionics bay. It has standard avionics dimensions and requires space for two modular concept units (MCUs). In addition, a data transceiver unit is usually installed in the avionics bay, requiring space of approximately one MCU. The SSU and transceiver weights are 12 lb and 4 lb, respectively. Installing the SSU, data transceiver and cable harness typically takes between 20 and 40 man hours - depending on the aircraft - and can usually be completed within one or two night shifts. Current black box technology is extremely limited. They are capable of about 300 parameters. In the event of a crash, the black boxes can be recovered and sent - still sealed - to the National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) for analysis. This is completely reactionary and good only if the box is found and not damaged. Star Navigation system is capable of reading up to 18,000 parameters and streaming live data on demand. The system knows exactly where your aircraft is at all times, exactly what is happening on your aircraft as it happens; it is literally a virtual window into the aircraft. "I would like to say that safety and security are the main goals, but I would rather say, STAR-ISMS increases safety, security, and efficiency; helps save on maintenance costs while providing better maintenance and flight awareness; improves operational control; and offers better maintenance analysis and more timely early warning analysis. All of this reduces downtime; historical trend analysis; optimizes fuel management; and improves financial control. That is something every CEO, CFO, and COO would want," Kapadia states. "ROI is in months, with continuous substantial savings thereafter. Imagine the affects it would have on the carbon footprint, for every kilogram of fuel saved we can save approximately 3.2kG of CO˛. Now consider the savings when the Carbon Tax comes into effect." Governing bodies have been calling for better monitoring systems. Star Navigation has recognized that need more than 10 years ago, spending that time perfecting technology that is beyond any other technology. The R&D stage is never over, with continued advancements sure to be occurring. A recent technology partnership with a major European conglomerate, has been a tremendous accomplishment for Star Navigation Systems, as they look forward to having their product on all aircraft. The STAR-ISMS system is currently certified via Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) by Transport Canada and the FAA in the United States of America. http://www.onlineamd.com/amd-0311-black-box-star-isms-navigation.aspx Back to Top Inquiry details crashed Ethiopian 737's erratic flightpath Lebanese investigators have detailed the erratic course followed by the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 which crashed off the coast of Beirut last year, showing that it failed to follow instructed headings before straying and entering a sharp left-hand spiral dive. It also shows that the aircraft received a stick-shaker warning during its climb, and momentarily descended before climbing again, and receiving another. In its newly-disclosed progress report on the accident, the Lebanese transport ministry adds that bank-angle warnings sounded 10 times during the flight, the first coming shortly after take-off. The aircraft had originally been cleared to follow the Lateb 1D standard departure but this was changed just before take-off to an immediate right-hand turn direct to the Chekka (CAK) waypoint north of Beirut. Air traffic control then ordered it to follow a heading of 315° and says that this was selected on the mode control panel. But the aircraft continued to turn right, eventually reaching a heading of 003°. Air Transport Intelligence has previously been told that the aircraft had to be turned away from the inbound traffic flow to Beirut, although this is not specified in the ministry's report. But the ministry states that air traffic control did order the aircraft to turn left to a new heading of 270°, and that this new heading was also selected on the mode control panel - but that the aircraft failed to level out on this heading as well. Instead it continued to turn southwards, receiving the first stick-shaker warning as it climbed to around 7,700ft. The ministry says the angle of attack peaked at 32°. The warning lasted 29s and the aircraft descended to about 6,000ft. It then climbed again, to 9,000ft and received a second stick-shaker warning, lasting 26s, before the aircraft turned sharply left and started descending again - a course which, at this point, was taking the aircraft eastwards towards high terrain. It continued to descend in a sharp left-hand turn, the bank angle reaching a maximum of 118° as the aircraft pitched 63° nose-down. The jet reached a speed of 407kt during the dive and an overspeed warning sounded shortly before the aircraft struck the water. Cockpit-voice and flight-data recorder traces, as well as radar records, of the aircraft were all lost some 30s after the aircraft had reached 9,000ft. There were no survivors among the 82 passengers and eight crew. Only preliminary findings - showing the aircraft was airworthy and the crew were licensed - are featured in the Lebanese ministry report into the 25 January 2010 accident, which adds that the twinjet took off without any known technical problems. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Air China to retire 49 aircraft Air China plans to retire 49 aircraft and has engaged a company to evaluate the value of the aircraft. The Star Alliance carrier will retire 25 Boeing 737-300s, 10 Boeing 757-200s, five Boeing 767-300s and nine Boeing 747-400s, and has hired a professional appraisal firm to evaluate the value of the aircraft, spare engines and related assets. "The evaluation results showed that the fair value of part of these assets were below their book value, and thus the company made impairment provisions for the shortfall in fair value to book value totalling at 1.35 billion yuan ($205.7 million)," says Air China. According to Flightglobal's ACAS database, Air China operates 29 737-300s, 10 757- 200s, four 767-300s, one 767-300ER, four 747-400s and five 747-400 Combi aircraft. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top FAA Installs 150th Alaska Weather Camera To Promote Safer Skies Latest Cam Is In Talkeenta Providing Critical Real-Time Weather Info In an ongoing effort to improve aviation safety in Alaska, the FAA has turned on its 150th weather camera in Talkeetna, a historic village whose airport is the hub for mountain climbing and sightseeing flights to Mt. McKinley. Aviation cameras are positioned to view sky conditions around airports, air routes and mountain passes. They provide pilots with critical weather information to help them decide whether it's safe to fly. "Real-time pictures of current weather conditions from weather cameras are helping pilots in Alaska make better choices every day about when and where it's safe to fly," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We want to make sure people in Alaska can travel to work, school and the doctor as safely as possible." More than three-quarters of Alaskan communities have no access to highways or roads and depend on aviation for access to food, mail, jobs, schools, medical services and travel. The FAA plans to install weather cameras at an additional 24 sites in Alaska this year and to have 221 camera sites in place by the end of 2014. "Rapidly changing weather across Alaska's rugged terrain can make aviation challenging," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "Weather cameras act as eyes in the skies for pilots and have become a critical part of aviation in Alaska." In addition to helping prevent weather-related accidents, the camera program can help aircraft operators save fuel by eliminating situations where pilots take off only to find they have to return due to bad weather. FAA Weather Cam Talkeetna The FAA started the Alaskan Aviation Camera Program in 1999 after determining that pilots operating under Visual Flight Rules would benefit from actual views of current weather conditions. Camera images are updated every 10 minutes and are disseminated to the public through the FAA's aviation camera website. FMI: http://avcams.faa.gov Back to Top Masters Degree Survey "My name is Joanne Wong and I am a Master student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I'm conducting a research study on incorporation of just culture in aviation organizations as my graduate research project. The research will provide insights on current state of just culture in aviation organizations. An anonymous survey regarding to this research is located at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TG6K7KY Thank you for your participation. Best Regards, Joanne Wong " Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC