Flight Safety Information June 2, 2011 - No. 112 In This Issue SMS Course: "A Practical Approach to Safety Managment Systems" FAA sets bar for head-up synthetic vision system Wake turbulence blamed for fiery Richmond crash Australia: Qantas jet grounded by stowaway baby rats Man Arrested Strolling Along the LaGuardia Tarmac Incident: Expressjet E145 near Indianapolis Oklahoman Arrested In Chicago For Attempting To Board Airplane With Handgun Emergency landing for Angels' Delta flight Seat maker Koito's deception results in FAA airworthiness directive FAA guts block aircraft registration programme FAA could decide action to address Wi-Fi interference with avionics Airbus offers runway overrun protection system to competitors Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC in conjunction with Beyond Risk Management Ltd. are pleased to host "A Practical Approach to Safety Management Systems" a course designed for the aviation industry. With the ICAO recommendations and standards for the introduction of Safety Management Systems throughout the world - you can get ahead of the curve and save time and money by learning the potential pitfalls and challenges associated to its implementation. The Canadian large aircraft aviation industry has experienced many of the same challenges likely to be faced by others. To better prepare you and your organization to meet these challenges we are pleased to bring to you the Canadian experience with regulated Safety Management Systems adapted to the your needs. Dates - June 17 & 18, 2011 (Friday and Saturday), 2010 SEATS ARE LIMITED- to ensure good discussion and time to question in a workshop environment class size is intentionally intimate. Register now to avoid disappointment. Important Details - This course covers the ICAO standards, the proposed FAA Safety Management Systems requirements and the Canadian experience. The content is global in nature enabling participants from other nations and industries to find the material both useful and beneficial. For Canadian attendees this course fulfills the requirements for CASO training (non 705 operators.) Schedule Day One (Friday) 0730 - 0800 hrs. Registration & continental breakfast 0800 - 1200 hrs. Session #1 1200 - 1245 hrs. Lunch 1245 - 1700 hrs. Session#2 Day Two (Saturday) 0730 - 0800 hrs. Continental breakfast 0800 - 1200 hrs. Session #3 1200 - 1245 hrs. Lunch 1245 - 1630 hrs. Session #4 1630 - 1700 hrs. Closing remarks and Presentation of certificates Location - The hotel is the Element Dallas Fort Worth North (3550 W. IH 635 Irving, Texas 75063 United States · Phone: (972) 929-9800· Toll-Free: 1-877-353-6368. Shuttle service from airport is available. Book your overnight stay directly with the hotel early. (http://www.elementdfwnorth.com) Overview - Improve safety performance by applying the fundamentals of SMS within your organization. Get past the barriers of independent departments to an integrated system. This two-day course gives you the comprehensive understanding of SMS and the tools to assist you in preparing for change in your organization. Who should attend - Any individuals who will be actively involved in the organization's Safety Management System (safety program). Individuals with previous experience and those with no knowledge in safety management will find this course useful for the formation or expansion of safety programs within their organizations. What you get - Participants will receive a consolidated reference binder of class material as well as an electronic version of the material which will provide guidance for setting up a system within their organization. Upon successful completion of the course a certificate will be issued. Subjects that will be reviewed are: * Safety and security * What Safety Management Systems is (definitions) * Corporate culture - The push for change (a full review of the proposed FAA Safety Management Systems, current ICAO and Transport Canada and requirements) * Risk Assessment techniques * Data collection and processing * Front line involvement and committee process * Incident Reporting * Incident/Accident investigation techniques and process * Trend Analysis * Response to events and emergencies * Safety promotion * Implementing change (and the obstacles to change) * Documentation process. Logistics - Tea/coffee/juice/water will be provided in the classroom at all times, continental breakfast and lunch on both days is included. Cost - $1,195.00 US funds per person SPECIAL OFFER: When you register three people from one organization the fourth attendee is our guest! Facilitators - Captain Elaine Parker, Inspector (ret'd) Brendan Kapuscinski, Curt Lewis PE, CSP & Darwin Copsey - Seating Restricted for better workshop discussion - - Registration is limited - Register now - Register on line at: www.regonline.ca/SMSDFWJun2011 For further information or questions: email - elaine@beyondriskmgmt.com Or call: Brendan Kapuscinski 403-804-9745 FAA sets bar for head-up synthetic vision system The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a series of special conditions that Bombardier and avionics provider Rockwell Collins must meet to certificate head-up synthetic vision for the Global Vision cockpit. Global Vision, which incorporates Rockwell Collins' Fusion integrated avionics system in place of the legacy Honeywell flightdeck, is to be available on the Bombardier Global Express XRS and Global 5000 business jets for first deliveries of the upgraded models in 2012. A key marketing point for Fusion is the ability to have synthetic vision on the aircraft's Rockwell Collins HGS-6000 head-up display, an enhancement that itself could allow for lower landing minimums in the near future. The FAA's concern is that the outside view not be obscured by the computed synthetic view of the same environment. Similar special conditions were created for enhanced vision systems, which show a conformal view forward as captured by an infrared camera. "Although the pilot readily may be able to see around and through small, individual, stroke-written symbols on the HUD, the pilot may not be able to see around or through the image that fills the display without some interference or the outside view," said the FAA in the 31 May notice. "Nevertheless, the [synthetic vision system] may be capable of meeting the required level of safety when considering the combined view of the image and the outside scene visible to the pilot through the image." In addition to proving that synthetic vision will not degrade flight safety or interfere with outside visual references, the special conditions require Bombardier to have a control that lets the pilot "immediately deactivate and reactivate" the synthetic vision display on demand without having to remove his or her hands from the yoke or throttles. Rockwell Collins has designed the system with a yoke-mounted switch that toggles between traditional HUD symbology, enhanced vision system or synthetic vision. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/02/357396/faa-sets-bar-for-head-up- synthetic-vision-system.html Back to Top Wake turbulence blamed for fiery Richmond crash Authorities at the scene of a 2009 plane crash in Richmond that killed two pilots. The federal transportation safety board said in a report Friday the crash was caused by wake turbulence from a much larger plane. Photograph by: Bill Keay, Png Files, Vancouver Sun Wake turbulence caused the fiery crash in 2009 of a Canadian Air Charters twin- engined Piper Chieftain aircraft that killed two pilots while on landing approach to Vancouver International Airport, the federal transportation safety board concluded in a report released Friday. The air-cargo plane was arriving in darkness using visual flight rules at about 10 p.m. on July 9, 2009, taking its place in landing order 1.5 nautical miles behind and 700 feet below the flight path of a much larger Air Canada Airbus A321. It was on a charter run for Canadian Blood Services and returning from Victoria. The turbulence resulted in "upset and loss of control at an altitude that precluded recovery," the board found. The plane crashed in flames in a Richmond industrial area near Bridgeport and No. 5 roads, killing the captain, Jeremy Ryan Sunderland, 28, and first officer, Mathew Douglas Pedersen, 23. "The current wake-turbulence separation standards may be inadequate," the board said. "As air-traffic volume continues to grow, there is a risk that wake-turbulence encounters will increase." Bill Yearwood, regional manager of the safety board, said in an interview that air coming off the wing tips can be "like a couple of tornadoes" and in calm conditions can linger invisibly to following pilots. NavCanada spokesman Ron Singer said his agency shares the safety board's concerns about turbulence and is working with Transport Canada on addressing the issue, which may require changes to the current Canadian Air Regulations. Transport Canada did not immediately respond to the board's report. The board also noted that the captain worked both part-time as a pilot with Canadian Air Charters and as a self-employed contractor and had been awake since 4: 30 a.m. the day of the crash. The airline's flight and duty time records "did not account for time worked elsewhere in a non-flying capacity, nor was it required by regulation," the report said. Fatigue, along with diminished depth perception in darkness, may have influenced the captain's actions and how close he came to the Airbus ahead, the board found. Another Air Canada Airbus A321 was closing from behind. Only the north runway was open for the arriving aircraft. The other two were closed for maintenance. Air-traffic control issued a turbulence warning to the Piper Chieftain, but did not assist the pilot in determining a safe distance -something the safety board would like to see happen for pilots flying on visual flight rules at night. The first officer also worked at both flying and non-flying jobs, although there was no suggestion of fatigue that day. "The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder, nor was [a recorder] required by regulation, and it could not be determined what level of collaboration or communications occurred between the two pilots," the board said. Under instrument flight rules, the minimum wake-turbulence separation for a light aircraft behind a medium-weight-category aircraft is four nautical miles, or 1,000 feet below. By regulation, it was the responsibility of the Canadian Air Charters crew flying on visual flight rules to adjust their flight path to avoid the preceding aircraft's wake turbulence. The investigation also found that Canadian Air Charters "does not have a reliability program in place, as required under its approved maintenance program, to track the level of wear and the rate of deterioration of components, such as the fuelpump drive splines [a gear] to forecast life expectancy." The finding had no bearing on the crash. Safety-board records for the 10-year period between 1999 and 2009 reflected 25 wake-turbulence encounters, of which 15 occurred in the approach and departure phases of flight. None resulted in an accident, but some did cause minor injuries. An article published in the March/April 2002 edition of the Flight Safety Foundation's Flight Safety Digest reported that from January 1983 through December 2000, there were 190 accidents and incidents in the U.S. involving wake turbulence. Among those, 14 were fatal accidents killing 35 people. http://www.vancouversun.com/ Back to Top Australia: Qantas jet grounded by stowaway baby rats Flight attendants discovered the baby rats in medical equipment inside the cabin, just minutes before passengers were due to board the Boeing 767 flight from Sydney to Brisbane. Qantas, Australia's national air carrier, grounded one of its planes in Sydney after flight attendants discovered a nest of baby rats in the cabin of the jet. Flight attendants found the five baby rats in emergency medical equipment inside the cabin, just 10 minutes before passengers were due to board the Boeing 767 flight from Sydney to Brisbane. The air crew was completing a routine pre-flight check of the plane when they found the stowaway rats in a cupboard that stores the onboard defibrillator kit, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. The flight was grounded, and passengers who were due to board were transferred to another plane while staff killed the rats. Engineers were sent in to check the plane and its electrical wiring. No rat-related damage was found, but Qantas is still investigating how the baby rats got on board. No adult rats were found on the plane. The Boeing 767 jet was taken out of service for 36 hours, and is scheduled to fly again Thursday, The Australian reports. A Qantas spokeswoman said that rats on a plane was a rare occurrence. "We don't know how they got there. The aircraft was at the gate for some time before departure and we are investigating," she told Agence France-Presse. "It is a rare occurrence. We have no record of it ever happening before." Other airlines have experienced similar rat problems. In April, U.S. health inspectors found rodent droppings "too numerous to count" near a Delta Air Lines jet's galley, the food and drink storage area. Last year, hundreds of passengers had to disembark an Air Canada flight from Ottawa to London after a "massive" rat was discovered in an overhead locker. Earlier this year, British Airways took one of its Boeing 747s out of service for fumigation after a passenger complained of being bitten by bed bugs. The disgruntled passenger detailed her ordeal on a website complete with photos of her bites. And a colony of cockroaches was discovered in the first-class section of an American Airlines flight last March. Qantas has suffered a number of mishaps recently, most notably the emergency landing of one of the airline's superjumbos after experiencing engine trouble shortly after taking off from Singapore on its way to Sydney last November. The airline grounded all six of its fleet of Airbus A380 http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/culture-lifestyle/traveltourism/110602/air- travel-australia-qantas-jet-cabin-baby-rats Back to Top Man Arrested Strolling Along the LaGuardia Tarmac Seth Abramovitch-The insane-ing of our airports continues with the story of Andre Reid, a 21-year-old from Mt. Vernon, NY, who was spotted strolling along the runway by the pilot of a US Airways airplane, just moments it was about to take off. That "spooked" the pilot, the NY Post reports, leading him to "dump" the flight - a security re-screening of all passengers and luggage. At first Reid said he had a ticket for a flight to Florida, and had just gotten lost. But before long, cops had deduced he had wandered onto the runway after a fight with his stepfather. He'd apparently hoped to hop a flight to his grandma's house, who lives in West Palm Beach. It's like Little Red Riding Hood, but with giant, rolling Airbus 321 wheels instead of a wolf. http://gawker.com/5807692/man-arrested-strolling-along-the-laguardia-tarmac Back to Top Incident: Expressjet E145 near Indianapolis on Jun 1st 2011, engine shut down in flight An Expressjet Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of Continental Airlines, registration N13958 performing flight XE-2586/CO-2586 from Indianapolis,IN to Newark,NJ (USA) with 51 people on board, was climbing out of Indianapolis' runway 05R towards 13,000 feet when the crew stopped the climb at 10,000 feet reporting a possible engine issue and requesting to return to Indianapolis. The crew subsequently declared emergency and reported they had shut the left hand engine (Ae3007) down due to loss of oil pressure. The airplane landed safely on Indianapolis' runway 05R about 16 minutes later. http://avherald.com/h?article=43d7e3b7 Back to Top Oklahoman Arrested In Chicago For Attempting To Board Airplane With Handgun CHICAGO -- A 44-year-old Fort Gibson man was arrested and charged Tuesday for carrying a loaded handgun while going through security at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Police say Christopher Baldridge was arrested when TSA found a loaded handgun inside his backpack. He was charged with one count of boarding an aircraft with a weapon, a felony. The Chicago Tribune reports Baldridge told authorities it was his first visit to Chicago and that he foolishly brought along the gun for protection. A judge set his bond at $25,000. His next court hearing is set for June 6, 2011. He remains in jail. http://www.newson6.com/story/14776606/oklahoman-arrested-for-attempting-to- board-airplane-with-a-handgun Back to Top Emergency landing for Angels' Delta flight A Delta Air Lines, Inc. charter carrying the Los Angeles Angels baseball team from Kansas City, Mo., to Orange County, Calif., was forced to make an emergency landing late Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport due to possible hydraulic problems, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Delta (NYSE: DAL) charter carrying 51 players and staff was diverted to LAX, because that airport has longer runways. The Boeing 737 landed safely just before 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The team was bused from the airport to Angels Stadium. No injuries were reported. Several crew members and coaches commended the flight attendants and pilots for landing the plane safety. Several Tweeted about the experience. "Glad to be on the ground safe," Angels pitcher Rich Thompson posted on Twitter after landing. "Pilot did a hell of a job bringing the bird down!" Team broadcaster Terry Smith told the Los Angeles Times the pilot alerted the team to a problem about 45 minutes before the team was to land. Smith said everyone on the flight remained calm and that the only crash procedure the team was asked to follow was to remove carry-on items under seats and place them in overhead storage. He said the plane was forced to land due to concern a possible hydraulic problem could cause overheating when the plane braked to land. He said fire engines were everywhere when the plane landed, but otherwise the landing was mostly normal. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/06/emergency-landing-for- angels-delta.html Back to Top Seat maker Koito's deception results in FAA airworthiness directive Despite receiving numerous objections from multiple parties the US FAA has issued a new airworthiness directive for aircraft seats made by embattled Japanese manufacturer Koito Industries, which falsified test data on some 150,000 seats in the world fleet. The AD, which is expected to have a wide-reaching impact on the industry, requires airlines to determine if affected seats and seating systems are compliant with certain FAA regulations and remove seats shown to be unsafe. The FAA has outlined compliance time requirements ranging from two years to six years for various portions of the AD. "This AD was prompted by a determination that the affected seats and seating systems may not meet certain flammability, static strength, and dynamic strength criteria. Failure to meet static and dynamic strength criteria could result in injuries to the flight crew and passengers during emergency landing conditions," said the FAA in its AD. "In the event of an in-flight or post-emergency landing fire, failure to meet flammability criteria could result in an accelerated fire. We are issuing this AD to prevent accelerated fires and injuries to the flight crew and passengers." In September 2010 the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to address the unsafe condition, and gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing the AD. "Several commenters either inferred or specifically requested that we withdraw the NPRM," revealed the FAA. The Association of European Airlines (AEA), for instance, said that Koito - witnessed by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) - has carried out extensive retesting of the seats to prove they are safe and meet all of the certification criteria, and concluded that these data have not been evaluated by the FAA, which could negate the issuance of an AD. The Association for Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), China Airlines, and Japan Transocean Airlines (JTA), meanwhile, stated that the evaluation and use of JCAB data could negate the justification for the NPRM, according to the FAA. For its part, Koito "respectfully questioned the basis for the NPRM moving forward, absent FAA verification and support that an unsafe condition exists. Koito stated it deeply regrets the circumstances surrounding this AD. Koito submitted that no actual unsafe condition has been verified even for production seats where discrepancies existed between drawings and materials used to show compliance." But the FAA is holding its ground. "We do not agree to withdraw the NPRM," it said. "It is a fact that some seats have failed during testing. Failure of the seat, in combination with an emergency landing, is considered catastrophic." The FAA has also denied multiple requests to delay its AD, which is effective 60 days after publication in the federal register. "To delay this action would be inappropriate, since we have determined that an unsafe condition exists and that the actions required by this AD must be conducted to ensure continued safety. Failure of the seat in combination with an emergency landing is considered catastrophic," explained the FAA. Some 278 US aircraft operated by Continental Airlines carry Koito seats. The FAA estimates "a cost for the US fleet of $875,000" for implementing the AD. However, the cost to non-US carriers of compliance could be staggering. "AEA stated that there are significant impacts and costs involved: hundreds of million of dollars in retrofitting seats including months - possibly years - of ground time if seats cannot be sourced. Koito stated that the NPRM not only underestimates the cost of the proposed AD, but in some cases acknowledges that the cost cannot be determined," said the FAA. "Koito noted that the FAA did not appear to consider the replacement costs for seats, seating systems, and their components that are found to be non-compliant. Koito stated that the FAA should not ignore the costs of replacing seats, seating systems, and their components that are found to be non-compliant," added the FAA. However, the FAA has opted not to revise the cost of compliance section of its AD. "We do recognise this AD could affect the non-US-registered fleet if mandated by airworthiness authorities of other countries. However, this AD does not directly impact non-US operators and, therefore, the cost review is not required for the non-US- registered fleet." http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/02/357433/seat-maker-koitos-deception- results-in-faa-airworthiness.html Back to Top FAA guts block aircraft registration programme The Federal Aviation Administration has made final its decision to remove a tail number tracking exemption now available to certain aircraft. The block aircraft registration request (BARR) programme, managed by the National Business Aviation Association for the FAA, allows requestors to have their registration numbers removed from publicly available flight tracking systems, an option that more than 3,000 operators now use for privacy, safety or competition reasons. "This action is in keeping with the Obama administration's commitment to transparency in government," said US Department of Transportation administrator Ray LaHood. "Both general aviation and commercial aircraft use the public airspace and air traffic control facilities, and the public has a right to information about their activities." Only operators who can show a "verifiable threat", including death threats or kidnapping, will qualify for the blanking under the new interpretation of the rules, expected to be finalised this summer. The decision follows a months-long comment period on the proposal, which had drawn heavy criticism, particularly from the NBAA. "We are outraged by the government's move," said NBAA chief Ed Bolen. "As we've said repeatedly, there can be no legitimate reason for a government agency to facilitate the monitoring of wholly private activity by anyone with an internet connection." Bolen, who refers to the new interpretation as the "paparazzi protection rule", said the FAA's claim that those on board tracked aircraft can not be identified is "pure sophistry". He added: "With an aircraft tail number, anyone with a little initiative can quickly determine the travellers on an aircraft." http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/02/357399/faa-guts-block-aircraft- registration-programme.html Back to Top FAA could decide action to address Wi-Fi interference with avionics The US FAA is waiting for Boeing to issue a service bulletin to address Wi-Fi interference with Honeywell Phase 3 display units (DUs) before deciding if regulatory action is required. "We're aware of the impending service bulletin. Once we get it, we'll determine if we need to take some regulatory safety action," said an FAA spokesman. The susceptibility of Honeywell Phase 3 DUs to Wi-Fi interference was discovered when FAA supplemental type certification for Aircell's Gogo air-to-ground (ATG)-based in- flight Internet solution was sought for Boeing 737NG aircraft. Blanking of the Phase 3 DUs was observed during required electro magnetic interference testing. One of the conditions for STC is that 737NG operators place placards in the flightdeck saying that Wi-Fi devices are to be powered off, according to multiple sources. Alaska Airlines, a customer of Gogo and all-737 operator that is distributing iPads to its pilots with the ultimate hope that they can be used as electronic flight bags (EFBs), says it is "aware that there has been an issue and we are not using Gogo in the cockpits. We are only using the iPads as an information device." The carrier, which operates some 737NGs with Honeywell Phase 3 DUs, has retracted its former statement that it "experienced" the interference issue. Ultimately, however, once interference issues are addressed, operators with connectivity could use the pipes to support real-time EFB applications, opening up the transmitting characteristic of the iPad. Explaining the benefits of connected iPad-based EFBs, Jeppesen chief strategist, aviation Rick Ellerbrock said: "The promise of the iPad on board the airplane is connectivity to the world. Once you have that you can keep current with new weather information, updated flight plans, NOTAM changes, and company messaging." Jeppesen is working with Alaska, Delta Air Lines and myriad other carriers to transform the Apple tablet into EFBs. Speaking broadly about the interest that Jeppesen is fielding for a connected iPad- based EFB - and not the Honeywell situation in specific - Ellerbrock noted that, as a transmitting portable electronic device (T-PED), the iPad is no longer passive, but rather is actively talking on radio frequencies. "It means it is potentially more difficult to have a clean test with avionics interference, although we've seen some pretty good success so far. But there is more testing involved to make sure it is not interfering with avionics." Boeing, meanwhile, says that while it has no firm date for tabling a service bulletin to address the interference issue with Honeywell Phase 3 DUs, it is "confident that it is imminent". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Airbus offers runway overrun protection system to competitors Airbus says it has decided not to keep its patented runway overrun prevention system (ROPS) as a "product differentiator", but to release it to competing aircraft builders. The manufacturer says its decision has been spurred by the fact that runway excursion is by far the air transport industry's most common serious accident category, and the occurrence rate is increasing faster than the world fleet is expanding. Airbus' executive vice-president strategy and future programmes Christian Scherer says that it has received "a very positive reaction" from Bombardier, Embraer, Dassault Aviation - and from the aviation insurance industry - to the proposal to make ROPS commercially available to other manufacturers. Scherer says that the idea was also well received at last month's International Civil Aviation Organisation's Global Runway Safety Symposium, and that the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations backs the manufacturer's move. At present ROPS, which consists of a software upgrade to existing aircraft systems, is being chosen by customers on all A380s that come off the line, having been certificated by EASA in October 2009, and it is installed on more than 60% of the in- service A380 fleet. It will be in all A350s, and from next year it will be available on the other new-build Airbus types or for retrofit. ROPS is integrated with the aircraft's flight management and navigation systems, and provides the pilots with a real-time constantly updated picture in the navigation display of where the aircraft will stop on the runway in wet or dry conditions. If the approach profile varies, so does the stopping point. If it will not be possible to stop on the runway, the system provides the crew with a written and spoken "runway too short" warning. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC