Flight Safety Information April 22, 2011 - No. 082 In This Issue Nav Canada's policy protects against workers falling asleep American Airlines jet has engine problem in Ariz NTSB releases reports stemming from Stevens' crash Air India flight aborts take off after smoke emanates from engine in Kochi New Georgian agency forms part of safety crackdown Australia's safety regulator issues show cause notice to Tiger Cathay floats cruise copilot MPL TSI IEP Training Announcement TSI SMS Course Nav Canada's policy protects against workers falling asleep Controllers work in pairs on overnight shifts U.S. authorities announced new scheduling rules for air traffic controllers aimed at increasing safety after several cases of staff sleeping on the job. The agency responsible for air-traffic control in Canada says it has a policy in place to help prevent air traffic controllers from falling asleep on the job and leaving pilots to land unassisted, as has happened repeatedly in the U.S. Ron Singer, spokesman for Nav Canada, said Friday it's been "practice to have two controllers working on overnight shifts" since 1999 to protect against solo workers nodding off and posing an aviation hazard. He said "such incidents are very rare, the last one being several years back," but he could not immediately provide details of that incident. Of the 42 control towers in Canada, 13 operate on a 24-hour basis. Singer noted that Nav Canada in 2001 retained Mark Rosekind of Alertness Solutions, a scientific consulting firm specializing in fatigue, alertness, shift work and performance, to help implement a fatigue-management program. Rosekind is now a member of the National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S. and led the Fatigue Countermeasures Program at NASA, he added. On Thursday, a top U.S. civilian aviation official was forced to resign after a spate of cases in which air traffic controllers were found napping on the job at airports across the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Randy Babbitt said he accepted the resignation of Hank Krakowski, head of the agency's office that manages the nation's air traffic organization. The departure follows an embarrassing and potentially dangerous string of cases in which air traffic controllers snoozed while planes circled overhead awaiting permission to land, in some cases forcing planes to land without instructions from the control tower. The FAA suspended an air traffic controller at Boeing Field in Seattle for falling asleep during his morning shift Monday. And in an incident Tuesday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada, a controller fell asleep while a medical flight carrying an ill patient was trying to land. That flight, in communication with the Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, eventually was able to land safely, but without the aid of a controller. Meanwhile, the FAA last month suspended two workers for a March 29 incident in Lubbock, Texas, in which controllers failed to appropriately hand off control of a departing aircraft to the Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center. And in an incident the previous week, U.S. aviation authorities suspended a controller suspected of falling asleep on the job and forcing two planes to land without guidance at Reagan National airport. www.vancouversun.com Back to Top American Airlines jet has engine problem in Ariz. PHOENIX (AP) - An American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Dallas was forced to land six minutes after takeoff due to an engine problem. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration says the MD-82 passenger jet had just left Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday when it lost power in one of its engines for an unknown reason. Spokesman Ian Gregor says the plane's captain declared an emergency and the jet circled back to Phoenix. The plane was carrying 120 passengers and six crew members. A spokeswoman with American Airlines says a problem kept the plane's left engine from receiving full power. It's being inspected and repaired. Many passengers were placed on the next flight or received compensation. Back to Top NTSB releases reports stemming from Stevens' crash JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Witness and survivor accounts released Thursday paint a dramatic picture of the aftermath of the plane crash that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others last August, but give no clear indication of the cause. The National Transportation Safety Board plans to release its probable cause findings next month. The hundreds of pages of documents that the NTSB released Thursday stem from its investigation into the Aug. 9 crash in southwest Alaska, ranging from the pilot's medical history to a review of weather conditions and analysis of the plane. Stark images of the aftermath also were released, including pictures of the amphibious aircraft with its wings peeled back and parts of the aircraft crumpled like a crushed soda can. Some of the information has been discussed before, including questions about weather conditions at the time of the crash. But there are also newly released witness and survivor accounts, providing details about the events surrounding the crash. For example, in one interview, Robert Himschoot, who was among the first people on the scene, recounted helping two emergency medical technicians to the site to assist a doctor who was already there, and finding two others later who had been lost and unable to help that night. Poor weather also hindered further rescue attempts and supply drops; the survivors were brought off the mountain the following morning. Stevens and former NASA chief Sean O'Keefe were among eight guests at a General Communications Inc. lodge flying to a salmon fishing camp the afternoon of Aug. 9, about 52 miles away. NTSB estimates the accident happened about 15 minutes into the flight. Perishing were Stevens, 86; pilot Theron "Terry" Smith, 62, of Eagle River; William "Bill" Phillips Sr.; Dana Tindall, 48, an executive with GCI; and her 16-year-old daughter Corey Tindall. NTSB said the plane wasn't officially reported overdue to the FAA's Flight Service Station in Dillingham until 6:59 p.m., just before the lodge manager said they were expected back for dinner. NTSB said the flight left at 2:27 p.m. Several interviews given to NTSB indicate the weather earlier in the day was dreary but had improved by lunchtime, when plans were made to take the trip. The lodge manager told NTSB he had seen Smith check the weather several times on the computer. Computer data analyzed for the agency showed weather sites checked between 7:40 a.m. and 11:33 a.m. though it's not clear who was checking the sites. A weather information broadcast, cited by NTSB as current until after the accident time, indicated light rain and mist at the Dillingham airport, about 18 miles south of the crash site. It cited forecasts for isolated moderate turbulence and did not recommend visual flight rules, which is how Smith flew that day. Dani Bowman, the wife of GCI executive Ron Duncan and the doctor who was on scene the night of the crash, said she and Duncan flew in the general area of the crash site, without knowing it, not long after Stevens' group had left. She described the visibility as "good." The four survivors, in interviews with NTSB, did not report anything alarming before the accident. At least one said that all passengers were wearing life preserver vests. Another said the weather was unremarkable and that Smith made several turns to avoid terrain, which he called "characteristic" Alaska flying. He said Smith made a left turn, going up a hill just before impact but didn't consider the angle unusual or hear any change in engine sound before the crash. Smith's former employers and others who knew him spoke highly of his skills; results of toxicology reports released by NTBS show no drugs or carbon monoxide detected in his blood, and at least two of the three autopsies performed on Smith, excerpted in the NTSB file, determined the cause of his death was blunt force trauma. The state medical examiner determined that was the cause of death of all the victims. Smith was grounded from flying from March 2006 to April 2008 due to a stroke, according to NTSB. Medical records later reviewed by NTSB indicated he was "fully recovered" but also found an "extensive" family history of "intracranial hemorrhages at young ages." NTSB said Smith's applications for medical certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2008 and 2009 did not mention his visits to a naturopathic practitioner for a left-side facial twitch said to have started before the stroke and worsened with stress or fatigue. It said Smith told the practitioner he'd undergone dental work before the twitch started. As for the airplane, NTSB found "no pre-existing failures or discrepancies that would preclude normal operation of either the engine or the propeller prior to impact. All the damage to the engine and propeller were consistent with impact forces." Back to Top Air India flight aborts take off after smoke emanates from engine in Kochi KOCHI: Air India's Kochi-Mumbai flight with 150 passengers and six crew members on board on Friday aborted take off soon after smoke was detected from one of its engines at the airport here. Air traffic control tower personnel noticed the left side of the engine emitting smoke abnormally and alerted the pilot, airport sources said. The smoke was detected in the Auxiliary Power Unit and engineers rectified the "very minor snag", Air India sources said. The plane was towed to the aircraft base for inspection and the problem rectified following which it resumed its onward journey to Mumbai. None of the passengers and crew members were asked to disembark from the flight AI 687, the sources said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com Back to Top New Georgian agency forms part of safety crackdown Georgian authorities are establishing a new, independent civil aviation agency as part of a safety crackdown which has also led to dozens of aircraft being removed from its registry. Ramp inspections of Georgian-registered aircraft have revealed "various major findings", says the European Commission in a detailed breakdown of its most recent blacklist revision. It has also expressed concern over safety compliance by aircraft registered in Georgia which have been imported from countries whose carriers are blacklisted. Georgian regulators have revoked several air operator's certificates over the past six months. These have included the AOCs of carriers identified as Air Batumi and TAM Air, while that of Sun Way - which lost an Ilyushin Il-76 in an accident in Karachi last November - expired on 3 February and has not been renewed. Georgian regulator UTA told the European Commission's air safety committee earlier this month that 29 out of 79 aircraft on the state register had been removed. These included a Boeing 747-200 freighter operated by Eurex Cargo, plus 10 Il-76s, 12 Antonov An-26s and An-12s, and six other miscellaneous types. The Commission says that, following a meeting with UTA last month, it reviewed documentation indicating that an independent civil aviation agency would be set up by 15 April. While the accident on 4 April involving a Georgian Airways Bombardier CRJ100 in Kinshasa has underlined its concerns, the Commission says its air safety committee noted UTA's "willingness to provide transparent information and co-operate closely to remove gaps" and adds that "further reforms are foreseen in the near future". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Australia's safety regulator issues show cause notice to Tiger Low-cost carrier Tiger Airways has been issued a show-cause notice by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) following concerns over safety at the airline. The airline, which declines to elaborate on the notice, says: "Last month, CASA asked Tiger to clarify certain matters, which Tiger has responded to in full." Reports say the CASA notice seeked answers from Tiger regarding pilot training and maintenance standards. Tiger says it continues to operate normal services, adding: "Safety underpins Tiger's operations at all times." CASA says that airlines that have been served with a show cause notice may continue to operate while pending the outcome of the show cause notice process. The agency, which did not name Tiger, adds that it "does not normally comment publicly on the regulatory actions it takes until those matters have been finally determined". "If CASA believed the operations of any airline posed a serious and imminent risk to air safety, it would act to suspend that airline's operations immediately," it adds. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Cathay floats cruise copilot MPL Cathy Pacific Airlines is trying to build support for a "cruise copilot" multi-crew pilot license (MPL) under ICAO rules as another solution to meeting pilot demand. At the World Aviation Training conference in Orlando, Florida on 19 April, Cathay manager of flying training Alan Wilson, who has 21 years experience with the airline, lists "lowering of experience and age in our cockpits and reactive regulation" among current industry challenges to staffing cockpits. To mitigate pilot experience issues, he says, "Let's get down to competency-based training," referring to the MPL. Wilson says Cathay was not involved in discussions that led to the creation of the MPL in 2006, and the current MPL protocol is a non-starter for a long-haul carrier due to the required 12 landings in the actual aircraft, twice as many as Cathay has in its ab initio programme. "I cannot justify doubling the aircraft-based training to my CFO," says Wilson, adding that "Not being active in the development [of the MPL] has left us hamstrung". Cathay for the past 22 years has successfully turned out pilots in its "fairly conventional" ab initio pilot training. The programme runs 15 months long and consists of 200 hours in light aircraft and 60 in jet transport simulators. Threat and error management and crew resource management competencies are embedded throughout the course. "MPL competency-based training would allow us to deploy a number of training devices appropriate to the phase of training with the aim of producing a competent first officer in a wide body aircraft," notes Wilson. The MPL is also a plus in that it is heavily weighted to the multi-crew environment and focused on core competencies required, adds Wilson. "Our [Cathay's] set of core competencies - and where I expect the MPL would deliver a better pilot to us are in aviation knowledge, aircraft control, leadership, flight management, communication, monitoring, situational awareness, problem-solving and decision-making, and professional responsibility," says Wilson. He describes Cathay's operational environment as "quite difficult", one in which pilot candidates with low time and experience can develop flying skills. The reason is that Cathay predominately flies wide-bodies on ultra-long-haul operations. And a typical crew of four must share landing and other opportunities to maintain and improve competency. Ab initios act as co-pilot when the co-pilot is resting, a role the cruise-copilot MPL would focus on as a graduated step in an aviation career. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top TSI IEP Training Announcement Internal Evaluation Program - Theory and Application (3 Days) Cost $415.00 US Course Number 00072 Dates/Time 5-7 May 2011 and 9-11 August 2011 Location Transportation Safety Institute, Main Campus, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA About TSI The Transportation Safety Institute is the US Department of Transportation's official aviation safety training organization. About the course and Course Description & Course Length Course # 00072 This course is designed to provide instruction in the theory and application of Internal Evaluation Program (IEP) processes within an aviation organization. IEP is intended to monitor how well company procedures are complying with directive and regulatory standards, achieving company goals, and effectively managing resources. It is sponsored by the FAA Flight Standards Service, Air Transportation Division, Voluntary Safety Programs Branch (AFS-230) This IEP course includes instruction in the basic elements of an internal evaluation program, training in the development and implementation of an IEP program, integration of IEP into Safety Management Systems (SMS), interrelationship with other voluntary safety programs, overview of Safety Risk Management, and training for IEP evaluators. Training will consist of classroom instruction and classroom workshops. Associate staff from industry Part 121 and Part 135 operations will give examples of how IEP fits into their organizations. Who should attend Aviation industry Internal Evaluation program managers, Safety Assurance program managers, Safety Directors, or Safety Managers Personnel in a supervisory or management position from air carriers and operators who are responsible for the compliance and conformance to FAA directives and internal company policies Aviation industry personnel selected to perform as evaluators, auditors, or inspectors Aviation Safety Inspectors Class Size 20 Enrollment Procedures Enroll on line at www.tsi.dot.gov or Call the TSI Registrar, Ms. Lisa Colasanti at: 405.954.3614 or email her at: lisa.colasanti@tsi.jccbi.gov Certificates Graduates receive the following TSI / US DOT certificate: 1- Internal Evaluation Program Course Manager And Point of Contact Mr. Troy Jackson Desk: 405.954.2602 Mobile: 405.819-7641 E-mail: tjackson@tsi.jccbi.gov Mailing Address: RTI-20 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd Oklahoma City, OK73169 ATTN: Troy Jackson, Room 345 Back to Top EARN A US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SMS CERTIFICATE Cost $1820.00 US (8-day SMS Course) Course Number 1038 Dates/Time 17-26 May 11 or 19-28 Jul 11 Location Transportation Safety Institute, Main Campus, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA Course Description & Course Length Course # 1038 Safety Program Management is a science and like other fields of science it has advanced. It is extremely important for safety and accident prevention program practitioners to become qualified and remain current in their field. In fact currency is vital if your organization hopes to achieve its maximum accident prevention potential. This course provides instruction and practical application of Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Accident Prevention Program Management. Graduates receive the necessary instruction required to design, develop, implement, manage and foster an effective organizational level SMS and accident prevention program. Course topics include the theory and application of SMS program elements, SMS program development, safety policies, risk management, hazards identification reporting and tracking, safety assurance, safety metrics, trend analysis techniques, audits, surveys and internal evaluations, safety education and promotion strategies, accident causation, and safety office management techniques. Who should attend Personnel, supervisors, leaders, or managers responsible for implementation, oversight or surveillance of an SMS or organizational accident prevention program. Open to all public, private, military and international personnel. SMS Model Instruction is based on the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the ICAO SMS model Class Size 24 Enrollment Procedures Enroll on line at www.tsi.dot.gov or Call the TSI Registrar, Ms. Lisa Colasanti at: 405.954.3614 or email at:lisa.colasanti@tsi.jccbi.gov Certificates Graduates receive the following US Federal DOT certificates: 1- SMS and Aviation Safety Program Manager 2- Risk Management "Trainer" certificate Course Manager And Point of Contact Mr. D Smith Desk: 405.954.2913 Mobile: 405.694.1644 E-mail: d.smith@dot.gov Mailing Address: RTI-20 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd Oklahoma City, OK73169 ATTN: D Smith, Room 345 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC