Flight Safety Information March 30, 2011 - No. 065 In This Issue Planes Too Close; Controller Cited Hole in US Airways plane was caused by a bullet, sources say FAA Studies Jet Windshield Fires DGCA mulls online pilot registry (India) IATA urges improvement of Africa's aviation safety US Schedules Aviation Talks With China In August HondaJet hits top speed in test flights Frenchman arrested on suspicion stealing cash from cargo hold Planes Too Close; Controller Cited By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) The FAA said it suspended a Florida air-traffic controller supervisor for asking pilots of a Southwest Airlines Co. jet to check on a private plane that wasn't responding to radio instructions, and in the process allowing the two aircraft to fly too close to each other. Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt said the incident, which happened last Sunday near Orlando International Airport over central Florida, was "totally inappropriate." By "placing this passenger aircraft in close proximity to another plane" he said, the controller "compromised the safety of everyone involved." Half a minute after the Southwest jet flew by the propeller-powered airplane, the private pilot re-established radio contact. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation, according to spokesman Terry Williams. The suspension comes amid fallout from another incident in which a controller supervisor fell asleep on duty for about half an hour last week at Washington Reagan National Airport. Two passenger jets landed at the field while the controller dozed, prompting criticism from lawmakers and the public. That controller was suspended. Taken together, the incidents indicate "there is something basically wrong" with the mind set and discipline of portions of the FAA's controller work force. "Supervisors establish the tone and the culture," said John Goglia, a former safety board member, but the two events "raise questions about their ability to think and appropriately separate aircraft." According to the FAA's timeline, the pilot of a single-engine Cirrus SR22 bound for Kissimmee, Fla., was cruising at 11,000 feet but had been out of radio contact with Jacksonville air-traffic controllers for more than an hour. That's when controllers at the Orlando regional air-traffic-control facility asked the pilots of Southwest Flight 821 to perform some high-altitude surveillance. The Southwest crew was at 12,000 feet and about 10 miles behind the private plane. They were "directed toward the Cirrus," according to the agency, and flew close enough to it to report "seeing two people in the cockpit." An FAA spokesman said the agency is still studying how close the planes came. But the FAA said the planes came closer to each other than allowed by government rules, a minimum of three miles and 1,000 feet. It's not unusual for commercial or private aircraft to temporarily lose radio contact with controllers, but such lapses seldom stretch beyond 20 or 30 minutes. Longer periods without radio communication concern controllers on safety as well as security grounds. In a statement Tuesday, Mr. Babbit said "we are reviewing the air traffic procedures used here and making sure everyone understands the protocols for contacting unresponsive aircraft." Back to Top Hole in US Airways plane was caused by a bullet, sources say (CNN) -- A hole in a US Airways jet that landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, was caused by a bullet that pierced the passenger cabin, three government sources told CNN Tuesday. Officials believe the bullet was fired in Charlotte, after passengers had exited the aircraft, one source said. The hole was discovered after the Boeing 737-400 landed Monday. The sources said a bullet has been recovered inside the plane. "We do not believe its terrorism related," said one of the government sources. "It appears to be a random event. We do not believe the plane was targeted. No one heard the bullet fired." An investigation into who fired the shot into the aircraft has begun, said multiple government sources. Flight 1161 from Philadelphia landed safely at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport about 4 p.m. Monday. The plane was being prepped for another flight when the pilot discovered the hole above a passenger window toward the back of the plane, according to airline officials. The airline pulled the jet from service and called in the FBI. The plane holds 144 passengers, according to the US Airways website. It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the flight. All of the passengers on the next flight were accommodated on other planes, a US Airways spokeswoman said. "We've released the plane back to US Airways last night," after completing their investigation, FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson said Tuesday. But the airplane remained grounded Tuesday while US Airways performed its own investigation, said company spokeswoman Valerie Wunder. Before the plane can be put back into service, it will have to be inspected by the Federal Aviation Administration for flight certification, according to agency spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. Back to Top FAA Studies Jet Windshield Fires By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) Serious electrical short-circuits cracked or burned portions of cockpit windshields on a pair of American Airlines jets in the past two weeks, ratcheting up concerns about such hazards potentially affecting thousands of Boeing Co. aircraft. The latest electrical problems come after at least 38 similar incidents with defective Boeing windshield-heaters over a 10-year period. The recent incidents, on widely used Boeing 767 models, didn't result in any injuries, but a section of the windshields on both jets developed a web of cracks in the air. They showed evidence of electrical damage and were replaced as soon as the aircraft landed, according to government and industry officials familiar with the details. On both planes, mechanics also replaced a part that controls heat to the windshield, according to one person familiar with the details. In one case, these officials said, the pilots continued to fly hundreds of miles after the first sign of trouble, without diverting to a closer airport or declaring an emergency. The incidents are prompting new concerns about the adequacy of federal safety rules and voluntary industry efforts to combat windshield-fire dangers on wide-body Boeing 767 and single-aisle 757 aircraft. On Monday, American said one of the planes that experienced problems earlier this month previously had a windshield replaced with an enhanced version designed to prevent electrical malfunctions. A spokeswoman for American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp., on Tuesday said "neither incident involved any fire, smoke or odor, nor did the crews declare an emergency." But part of the windshields either cracked or melted, she said. American said the events "are not that unusual," and the planes were repaired and are back in service. It said it is cooperating with government safety officials. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the agency was reviewing both incidents. The latest electrical problems follow repeated recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board, stretching back several years, to replace certain portions of windshields on various Boeing models. The design of the heating systems on many Boeing planes built before 2004 are prone to short-circuits and can cause related problems Over the years, Boeing and the FAA have told airlines to step up windshield inspections and spelled out when damaged or defective windshields should be replaced. But neither the manufacturer nor regulators have told airlines to swap out all suspect windshields. The pilots of the first American jet, en route from Miami to Los Angeles on March 13 diverted to Dallas after part of the co-pilot's windshield suffered heat damage and cracked. The spokeswoman said the FAA began looking into it because of the diversion. The second Boeing 767, en route from Zurich to New York Saturday afternoon, landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport with the captain's windshield burned and cracked, said people familiar with the details. A safety board spokesman said the board was looking into both incidents. Spokesman Peter Knudson said investigators were informed the latest window problems occurred "over Canadian airspace." Commercial pilots are trained to get a plane on the ground as quickly as possible whenever a serious or a difficult-to-diagnose electrical problem crops up. It isn't clear why the cockpit crew of American Flight 65 opted to continue to their destination. The American spokeswoman said there was no emergency, although there were cracks and "some melting of the laminate" associated with the different layers of glass. The NTSB spokesman said investigators "were gathering information" about the event for their Canadian counterparts, but he declined to comment further. As a precautionary move, American years ago voluntarily decided to gradually swap out all old-style windshields on its Boeing 757 and 767 fleets. But apparently to reduce flight delays or cancellations before those change outs, the airline devised maintenance rules that are less stringent than those recommended by Boeing to determine when planes are fit to fly. Boeing's service bulletins, which aren't binding on airlines, call for replacing windshields "only if damage is found," at which point airlines can "choose to replace with the original design and continue inspections, or retrofit" with a newly designed version "and terminate inspections." Four months ago, part of the windshield of a United Airlines B757 flying from Boston to Chicago developed cracks, and the plane diverted to Buffalo, N.Y., without any injuries. Earlier this month, the safety board released a report of an earlier United incident highlighting the safety hazards involved. About half an hour after taking off from New York in May 2010, the Boeing 757 with 112 people aboard was cruising at 36,000 feet en route to Los Angeles when the pilots "heard a hissing sound and saw smoke emanating" from part of the captain's windshield, according to the report. It took two fire extinguishers to douse the flames, and the inner pane of the captain's windshield cracked just before the twin-engine jet made a safe emergency landing at Dulles International Airport. Previously, a spokeswoman for United, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., said that the May incident prompted a fleet-wide inspection and the carrier "implemented enhancements to the maintenance program" that went "beyond what was required "by FAA directives. Back to Top DGCA mulls online pilot registry (India) NEW DELHI: The government is planning to create an online national registry of pilots with a complete dossier on each one, in a bid to check pilots getting licences and jobs on the basis of fudged papers and endangering air safety. The director general of civil aviation, Bharat Bhushan, will be examining the feasibility of this project in association with an agency like Nasscom. The plan is to put all the documents of every pilot on an online registry from the moment he or she applies for a licence, which can be accessed by airlines at the time of hiring pilots, said an official. The biggest problem, so far, has been in getting report cards from DGCA's examination branch at R K Puram. These, then, have to be submitted at the head office licences. Shockingly, recent cases revealed that pilots were able to submit fudged papers here and get licences without any cross-checking. Once the original results and all other relevant papers are put online, this problem could be addressed to a large extent and also reduce human interface that can lead to malpractices. Owing to the massive staff crunch at the directorate, especially when it has to undertake checks on 40 flying schools and almost an equal number of aircraft-maintenance engineering institutes, the two men spearheading the clean-up job, aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi and Bhushan, have decided to take personnel from Airports Authority of India and Pawan Hans to complete this job in next two to three months. ''We have decided to get the audit of schools done by our officers and independent experts from outside, which could include even retired personnel,'' sources said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ Back to Top IATA urges improvement of Africa's aviation safety LAGOS, Nigeria - the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged increased emphasis on safety and infrastructure improvements as the top priority for African aviation during the Association's second African Aviation Days. The event was held in Lagos, Nigeria on 28-29 March with the support of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the participation of aviation professionals from around Africa. IATA's presence was headed by Mike Higgins, the association's newly appointed Regional Vice President for Africa. Africa had a 2010 accident rate of 7.41 accidents per million flights. This was an improvement over the 9.94 recorded in 2009, but the record remains the worst among the world's regions, and 12 times worse than the global average of 0.61. African carriers are 2% of global traffic, but 23% of global western-built jet hull losses. IOSA - the IATA Operational Safety Audit - is a key tool for improving aviation safety, and a mandatory requirement for membership of IATA. In 2010, the accident rate of African carriers on the registry of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (for all aircraft types) was more than 50% better than non-IOSA airlines. Some 21 of the 351 airlines on the IOSA registry are from sub-Saharan Africa, and it is a key IATA goal to further improve safety by bringing more carriers on board with IOSA's 900+ global standards. The latest airline to be IOSA registered is Arik Air, who were officially awarded their accreditation at the Aviation Day. "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. 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. African Aviation Days took a comprehensive look at the challenges facing the continent's industry which employs 430,000 and supports $9.2bn in economic activity. In addition to safety, another focus of the comprehensive discussions was infrastructure. IATA commented that a lack of funding and inconsistent government policies is holding back African infrastructure development. IATA's primary aim is to work with governments to ensure that monies raised through user charges are reinvested back into aviation infrastructure programs. One priority highlighted is the development of infrastructure to support performance based navigation (PBN). In line with the 2007 ICAO resolution which called for states to implement PBN concepts, IATA is assisting with the roll-out of PBN, to improve both safety and cut fuel burn and emissions. ICAO's target is for full worldwide implementation of PBN by 2025, and Nigeria is the first West African country to embrace a PBN strategy that will cover 24 airports across the country. http://www.eturbonews.com/2 Back to Top US Schedules Aviation Talks With China In August DOW JONES NEWSWIRES - The U.S. will hold another round of talks with China in August aimed at moving closer to an open-skies aviation agreement, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. The two sides last met in June 2010 as they continued efforts to lift restrictions on passenger and cargo flights between the countries stemming from a 1980 accord. The U.S. continues to pursue an open-skies deal with China, said Jose Fernandez, the State Department's assistant secretary for economic, energy and business affairs. Fernandez, speaking to reporters as the department marked the milestone of reaching open-skies deals with 100 countries, also cited ongoing efforts to conclude pacts with Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. The U.S.-China deal has been amended three times since 1980, each allowing more flights between the countries. Both sides haven't taken up all of their allotted flights. The U.S. last week signed an open-skies deal with Brazil, but unlike most of its predecessors it will be phased in over a number of years. "It's not ideal," Fernandez said of deals that included a phased approach. "We aim for fully open skies from day one." Back to Top HondaJet hits top speed in test flights Tests of the new HondaJet private aircraft over Piedmont Triad International Airport have successfully reached a maximum speed of 489 miles per hour at a height of 30,000 feet, according to an announcement from Honda Aircraft Co. The Greensboro-based Honda Aircraft said that speed surpasses the performance commitments the company has made for the plane. The top speed was achieved during a flight on March 11. The HondaJet is in the process of certification by the FAA, with test flights being conducted by planes that conform to FAA requirements. CEO Michimasa Fujino said the company is pleased with the performance of the conforming models so far. "Our flight tests indicate the aircraft is handling and performing as expected, with excellent control harmony and stability," he said. There are now two flight-ready conforming HondaJets being used in tests, with three more being readied. The company says it will have completed construction on its 263,400-square-foot production facility next to the airport in time for commercial production ramp-up next year. http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2011/03/hondajet-hits-top-speed.html Back to Top Frenchman arrested on suspicion stealing cash from cargo hold during Caribbean flight (AP) A man suspected of stealing thousands of dollars (euros) from the cargo hold of a plane in flight has been arrested in Dutch St. Maarten and extradited to a nearby French island to face charges, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The suspect, a 48-year-old French citizen, was arrested outside a hotel without incident, and police allegedly found €10,000 (US$14,0000) from the theft in his car, Prosecutor Bart den Hartigh said. The suspect's name was not released. He is accused of breaking into the cargo hold of an Air Antilles Express plane this month on a flight from the French island of Guadeloupe to St. Maarten. He allegedly removed wall panels in the bathroom to get at the cash shipment. He allegedly took more than €170,000 ($230,000). The suspect has been sent to Guadeloupe to face charges. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC