Flight Safety Information July 19, 2011 - No. 145 In This Issue NTSB: ASA CRJ900 'sustained substantial damage' in Boston incursion Grounded Tiger Airways hires Qantas safety expert Team Behind Virgin Galactic Aircraft Unveils A Hybrid Electric Flying Car Air traffic controller suspected of working drunk An-24 crew tried to divert before river ditching NTSB: ASA CRJ900 'sustained substantial damage' in Boston incursion US National Transportation Safety Board, which has opened an investigation into last Thursday's Boston Logan runway incursion, provided more details on the incident (ATW Daily News, July 15). NTSB said the Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300ER was moving on BOS taxiway B, headed for departure on runway 04, when the winglet on its left wing "struck the horizontal stabilizer" of the Atlantic Southeast Airlines Bombardier CRJ900. The regional jet was sitting idle, third in line on taxiway M waiting for departure on runway 09. "The CRJ900 sustained substantial damage, which included damage to the horizontal tail and vertical tail," NTSB stated, adding that "the airplane lost fluid in all three hydraulic systems. Parts of the 767 winglet were sheared off and embedded in the tail of the CRJ900. The passengers on the CRJ900 were deplaned on the taxiway and the 767 taxied back to the terminal." The board said flight data recorders from both aircraft will be transported to its headquarters in Washington. DL, ASA, FAA and the Air Line Pilots Assn. will be parties to the investigation. http://atwonline.com/operations-maintenance/news/ntsb-asa-crj900-sustained- substantial-damage-boston-incursion-0718 Back to Top Grounded Tiger Airways hires Qantas safety expert SYDNEY (AFP) - Embattled Tiger Airways Australia on Tuesday hired a veteran Qantas pilot as a safety advisor as part of its bid to have its flight ban revoked. Tiger chief Tony Davis said he had taken on Captain Chris Manning, who has about 40 years experience, to boost the airline's safety programme after it was grounded by aviation regulators until August 1 over serious and imminent risks. "With the assistance of Chris, I am confident that Tiger Airways will operate with the highest levels of safety management across our entire operation, both on the ground and in the air," Davis said. "Today's appointment is another step towards reassuring the industry and the public that Tiger Airways is committed to a safe, viable, and long-term future in Australia." The offshoot of Singapore's Tiger Airways was banned from flying earlier this month after safety breaches that followed an official warning on pilot proficiency and training, fatigue management and other issues. Davis was dispatched from Singapore to take the helm at Tiger Australia and has vowed to get the low-cost carrier back flying, promising the full support of its Asian parent company. He said Manning was one of Australia's most experienced pilots and operational advisors, starting his career with Qantas in 1970, and he would answer directly to management on safety issues. Back to Top Team Behind Virgin Galactic Aircraft Unveils A Hybrid Electric Flying Car Forget those gas-guzzling flying cars. Now you can drive and fly while saving lots of money on fuel. Watch out, Terrafugia: Flying car competition is coming your way and it's much more efficient. The BiPod, developed by Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, is already taking test flights. And don't write this off as an aviation geek's pipe dream--Scaled Composites is the company behind Virgin Galactic's spacecraft and launch vehicles, including SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnight Two. It's also a subsidiary of Northrup Grumman. The hybrid flying car, dubbed Model 367 BiPod, went from preliminary design to inaugural flight (in March) in just four months, according to Aviation Week. The two- seater, which is designed to be driven like a car from the left cockpit and flown like a plan on the right, features two 450cc internal combustion engines, 15 kW motors on both the driving wheels and the motor-driven propellers, and lithium batteries that are recharged during flight. In aircraft mode, the BiPod can go 760 miles at 100 mph. As a car, the fiberglass and carbon fiber vehicle squeezes out 820 miles on a tank of gas and 35 miles in electric mode. There aren't plans to commercially produce the BiPod quite yet; the model vehicle was built to measure outside interest in continued development. But the recent news that the Terrafugia Transition--another flying car--has been cleared for use by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration means that other companies may be more interested in this kind of vehicle, simply because many of the legal hurdles have already been cleared. Terrafugia's commercial model rolls off production lines next year. After that, a BiPod- like hybrid model may not be far behind. http://www.fastcompany.com/1767784/team-behind-virgin-galactic-aircraft-unveil-a- hybrid-electric-flying-car?partner=gnews Back to Top Air traffic controller suspected of working drunk Since no aircraft incidents were involved, the controller has not been charged with a federal crime, KMGH reported, adding that the controller could eventually return to his job. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association -- the union representing controllers -- called the incident "deeply troubling." "We do not condone what is now being investigated to have taken place at Denver Center," Rinaldi said in a statement. "We are proud of our safety record both there and at every facility and will continue to work to keep our airspace system the world's safest." Earlier this year, a slew of incidents involving air traffic controllers falling asleep on duty sparked widespread calls for reform and increased oversight. Hank Krakowski, who was the FAA's air traffic control chief, resigned in April. Back to Top An-24 crew tried to divert before river ditching Preliminary investigation into the fatal Angara Airlines Antonov An-24 ditching in the River Ob has determined that the crew initially intended to divert to Nizhnevartovsk airport. The Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) said the pilots had received an oil contamination alert before the left-hand engine caught fire. Operating between Tomsk and Surgut on 11 July the turboprop aircraft had been cruising at 6,000m (19,700ft) when signs of a problem developed. MAK has obtained initial information from the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders following the crash. The cockpit instrument informed the crew that there were particles in the oil in the left- hand engine, said MAK. "The crew began a descent and, in agreement with Nizhnevartovsk air traffic control, decided to land at Nizhnevartovsk airport," said MAK. "During the descent procedure a fire broke out in the left engine. The fire was not eradicated by application of two extinguisher discharges." Seven occupants of the An-24 were killed when the crew decided instead to attempt a landing on the river. Source: Air Transport Intelligence News Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC