Flight Safety Information August 2, 2011 - No. 159 In This Issue US agency to examine recorders from Guyana jet Air safety warning on lithium ion batteries in checked luggage (Australia) LaHood, Babbitt Tell Congress To Pass FAA Bill Before August Recess FAA Debate Puts Subsidized Rural Airports At Risk First captain of Virgin Galactic space flights unveiled Star Alliance halts Air India's entrance Tiger still grounded as regulator runs safety checks EASA Updates A330 Flight Control AD ATSB probes Qantas, Virgin 737 separation incident First flight of Air India's 787 cut short by failed sensor Three in hospital after Air Evac helicopter hits power line US agency to examine recorders from Guyana jet GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP)-U.S. investigators will soon examine the flight data recorders from a Caribbean Airlines jet that skidded off a rain-slicked runway in Guyana and split apart, officials said Monday. No one died in the weekend accident. Kelly A. Nantel, a spokeswoman with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, said the recorders from the cracked Boeing 737-800 were expected to arrive at an agency lab on Monday evening. The U.S. agency has a team in Guyana assisting the South American country's civil aviation authority with their crash investigation. Caribbean Airlines spokeswoman Laura Asbjornsen said the pilot and crew remain in Guyana to work with investigators. "We have no other information at this time about the incident," said Asbjornsen, adding the Trinidad-based carrier has set up a counseling center for passengers and their families. The plane, carrying 162 people, slid off the end of the runway early Saturday. Authorities have been upgrading systems at the airport that help pilots to land, but not all of the new systems were operating at the time of the crash, according to Guyana's Civil Aviation Director Zulfikar Mohamed. Officials and aviation experts have cautioned it was far too early to say if the lack of the systems was a factor in the crash. Mohamed has said there was light rain, but visibility was 5 miles (8 kilometers) at the time the plane landed early Saturday. Back to Top Air safety warning on lithium ion batteries in checked luggage (Australia) Air passengers are warned not to carry spare lithium ion batteries frequently used to power laptops, mobile phones, cameras and music players on board aircraft. Source: News Limited THE Civil Aviation Safety Authority has warned passengers not to put spare lithium ion batteries in their checked luggage because of the danger of fire. The warning echoes those issued by other regulators after an increase in the number of incidents involving lithium batteries on aircraft and the crash of a UPS Freighter last Sepetember. Airlines are also introducing additional dangerous goods questions to prompt people about the batteries. CASA says the batteries used extensively in laptops, mobile phones, cameras and music players have the potential to short circuit and burn under certain conditions and the preference is to have them carried in the cabin. "Cabin crew and flight crew are specifically trained in the management and handling of dangerous goods incidents in the aircraft cabin, including those caused by lithium battery fires and can respond quickly if an incident arises," CASA aviation safety director John McCormick said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/air-safety-warning-on-lithium-ion- batteries-in-checked-luggage/story-e6frg6nf-1226106746857 Back to Top LaHood, Babbitt Tell Congress To Pass FAA Bill Before August Recess Message Delivered At Shut-Down Worksite At LaGuardia Airport U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt joined with local contractors and construction workers at LaGuardia Airport on Monday to demand that Congress pass an FAA bill before getting on airplanes to fly away for vacation. Since Congress allowed the FAA's last extension to expire on July 22, dozens of construction projects across the country have been issued "stop work orders," including a $6 million project to demolish the decommissioned FAA Airport Traffic Control Tower at LaGuardia International Airport that employed 40 New York area workers. Other workers nationwide have similarly been forced to stop work on critical airport modernization projects, and nearly 4,000 FAA employees, many needed to oversee these projects, have been furloughed. "Members of Congress should not get on a plane to fly home for vacation without passing an FAA bill and putting thousands of people back to work," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Congress needs to do its job for the good of these workers, for the good of our economy and for the good of America's aviation system." FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said, "Every day this goes on, we fall further behind. We need our 4,000 FAA employees and tens of thousands of construction workers back on the job so we can get critical projects moving again while it's still construction season. Congress must act quickly before leaving for the August recess." "It wasn't easy telling my construction workers we've been shut down because of a fiscal situation in Washington," said Luca Toscano, Vice President of Paul J. Scariano Inc. and contractor on the LaGuardia airport project. "Some of these guys just got back to work after a long time, and their benefits have all expired. So for them this is like running into a brick wall, and they're asking me, 'How do we explain this to our families?' I don't know what to say to them." "No doubt there are important policy questions that need to be resolved with the aviation legislation," said Stephen E. Sandherr chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. "But construction workers shouldn't have to suffer because Washington hasn't figured out a way to work out its differences." "Because Congress has failed to pass an FAA extension, New York has lost access to millions of dollars for airport construction projects that would employ hundreds of construction workers. These have been tough times for the construction industry and workers have been hardest hit. For the sake of workers across the country who have already lost a week's pay because of Congress' inaction, we need an extension now," said Paul Fernandes, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York Chief of Staff. Without a reauthorization, the FAA is unable to get roughly $2.5 billion out the door for airport projects in all 50 states that could put thousands of people to work in good paying jobs. In addition to the nearly 4,000 FAA employees in 35 states, and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico who have been furloughed and forced to go without pay, Associated General Contractors (AGC) estimates that 70,000 construction workers and workers in related fields have been affected. The FAA's previous extension expired at midnight on Friday, July 22. Since then, more than 200 "stop work orders" have been issued for airport construction projects and contracts around the country. While the flying public will be unaffected and safety will not be compromised, stopping work on these projects will significantly increase the ultimate costs of construction for taxpayers and could delay important programs. FMI: www.faa.gov Back to Top FAA Debate Puts Subsidized Rural Airports At Risk Construction projects at airports around the country have stopped and 4,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration are furloughed, all because Congress couldn't agree on an extension of the agency's authority to operate. Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who chairs the subcommittee that oversees the FAA, indicates he will offer a plan as soon as Monday night to end the shutdown. Rockefeller's plan includes cuts in air service subsidies to some rural communities. Those subsidies keep commercial aviation service in rural areas that would otherwise be isolated. On an average Monday at the Bradford Regional Airport in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, six passengers are flying in on each of the three Continental Connection flights. Millions In Subsidies About an equal number are flying out to Cleveland, where the flights originate, airport manager Tom Frungillo says. To help keep Continental from losing money on the service, the federal government subsidizes these flights at a cost of about $1 million a year. It's part of the Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes commercial flights to about 150 rural airports nationwide, at a yearly cost of nearly $200 million. Critics call the program the poster child for wasteful government spending. "Some of the flights, the airlines are flying planes as small as eight seats, and sometimes those aren't even full," says Erich Zimmermann, senior policy analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense. He says in some cases, flying those half-empty planes can cost taxpayers quite a bit. "I think the largest is an airport in Nevada, where each passenger is subsidized to the tune of $3,700 every time they step on the plane to take one of these flights," Zimmermann says. Rural Air Program: A Waste Or Essential? Several of the tiny airports getting subsidized air service are less than a two-hour drive from a medium or large hub airport, he says. Zimmermann and others are calling on Congress to eliminate the Essential Air Service program. House Republicans took a step in that direction. In a bill to extend the FAA's authority to operate, 13 airports were cut out of the program, including those that are less than 90 miles from a hub airport and those getting subsidies exceeding more than $1,000 per passenger. Supporters say the Essential Air Service is critical to the economic development of rural areas. While Bradford, Pa., is just under 90 miles from Buffalo, N.Y., it's not an easy drive - especially when it snows, Frungillo says. "We're a community in northwestern Pennsylvania, with very harsh winters, very mountainous terrain, and we have no interstate access," he says. Frungillo says demand for the flights is starting to rise as energy companies expand oil and natural gas development operations in western Pennsylvania. The airport might soon be able to offer commercial service without subsidies, he says, as it did for 53 years before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Return On Investment Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson's rural Pennsylvania district includes the Bradford airport and another on the list to be cut. He says he's as fiscally conservative as anyone, but he insists these subsidies give taxpayers a good return on the investment. "If you believe that the federal government has a role in interstate transportation, that's not just roads, that's also air travel. So I obviously disagree with the individuals who do not support rural America, and do not support rural airports. Under their philosophy, maybe we shouldn't even be paving roads in rural America, because there are fewer people that drive on them," Thompson says. Cutting the Essential Air Service subsidies to those 13 airports would have saved about $16 million a year, he says. But with the FAA unable to collect airline ticket taxes during this shutdown, the government is losing almost twice that - $30 million - every day. The entire amount of revenue lost during the FAA shutdown so far is $200 million and counting. That's more than the entire rural air service program costs in a year. http://www.npr.org/2011/08/01/138901060/faa-debate-puts-subsidized-rural-airports- at-risk Back to Top First captain of Virgin Galactic space flights unveiled Virgin Galactic has announced that the first captain for its space flights will be a British pilot British pilot, David Mackay has been unveiled as the first captain of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space flights, making him the first captain to fly tourists into space. Virgin Galactic plans to begin its sub-orbital space flights in 2013 and the company came one step closer on Sunday when its space tourism rocket, SpaceShipTwo achieved its first solo flight. Already, more than 400 passengers have paid £125,000 each to experience space travel with Virgin Galactic when it launches. The tourists will be able to experience weightlessness 100km above the earth's surface. Lifelong ambition to become an astronaut Mackay has spoken about his lifelong ambition to become an astronaut, he said, "I was a frustrated astronaut all my life. I grew up at a time when space seemed to have no boundaries and lots of us presumed humans would be living on the moon and landing on Mars. ''When I was 12, I saw the Apollo moon landings and I thought that was really fantastic and exciting and thought that's what I want to do. ''I found out that those astronauts were ex-test pilots, so I rather ambitiously decided that I would join the RAF, become a test pilot, then become an astronaut.'' Mackay spent 16 years with the RAF before joining Virgin Atlantic in 1995 as a captain. Mackay has temporarily relocated to the Mojave Desert testing ranges in California taking test flights in Virgin's WhiteKnightTwo 'mothership'. The WhiteKnightTwo is a jet-powered cargo aircraft that will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft carrying commercial passengers. Mackay said his experience made him the obvious choice to be the first pilot to take tourists into space, ''I've been involved with it for a long time. There's quite a bit of test flying to be done yet. ''So by the time it comes to the first commercial flight I will be as experienced as anybody on the project, so it makes sense for the most experienced people to be on that first flight.'' Virgin Galactic space flight It will take about an hour for the mothership to reach an altitude of 50,000ft before the spacecraft it is carrying is launched. The spaceship will then fire its rocket motor and accelerate to 2,500mph in less than a minute as it leaves the atmosphere. Describing what the passengers will experience, Mr Mackay said: ''It will be close to 4g acceleration which is a huge push in the back. ''So it will be a very exciting rocket ride, it will last about a minute and they will be pinned back into their seats. There will be a bit of noise and vibration so they'll definitely know they are on their way into space.'' Once the ship is 360,000ft above the planet, passengers will be allowed to unstrap their seatbelts and experience weightlessness. They will see the Earth from above before the craft makes its return in the three-and-a-half hours journey. http://www.businessrevieweurope.eu/lifestyle/2011/08/first-captain-of-virgin-galactic- space-flights-unveiled.html Back to Top Star Alliance halts Air India's entrance Air India's entrance into the Star Alliance frequent-flier group has been put on hold. The world's largest frequent-flier alliance made the announcement Sunday, saying in a statement "the Star Alliance network and Air India have jointly concluded that the integration of Air India into the global airline alliance will be suspended." And, with that, "a key part of the Indian government's turnaround plan for Air India, the country's unprofitable national carrier, has collapsed," The New York Times writes. In its statement, Star Alliance says Air India's entry has been suspended because the airline "has not met the minimum joining conditions that were contractually agreed in December 2007." "With the collective decision to put the integration efforts on hold today we aim to contribute to Air India's flexibility to concentrate on its ongoing strategic reorientation," Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht says in the statement. "In this process our member carriers will continue to provide assistance to Air India wherever required." Despite the public statement, however, there appears to be some thinking that the decision wasn't entirely a "collective" one. Air India officials say they were under the impression that they had met all of the alliance's entrance criteria. "We have in our possession a letter from the project manager at Star Alliance confirming that we have met all the minimum joining requirements, so we don't know why this decision has been taken," Air India spokesman Kamaljeet Rattan tells AFP. And one Indian news source suggests Air India's entrance problems could be related to politics. Under the headline "Rivals don't want Air India in Star Alliance," the Daily News & Analysis (DNA) website writes the airline's bid "is being torpedoed by competing airlines who want a larger slice of the Indian market as a quid pro quo, according to sources familiar with the development." The DNA report, which came on Friday -- two days before the Sunday decision -- says its "unconfirmed reports" suggested that 10 of Star Alliance's 28 airlines would object to Air India's official entrance. A "no" vote by any one airline would block the airline's entrance, according to DNA. Why would other carriers object? DNA writes it may be because "India has become cautious in granting bilateral rights to foreign airlines in the last few years." As for Air India, the deal is a blow to an airline already reeling on multiple fronts. And many speculate that the carrier's woes played a big part in Star's reversal. The state-run carrier faces sharp competition from upstart private carriers in its home market. Additionally, The New York Times notes Air India has developed "a reputation for late flights and poor customer service, and it is hemorrhaging money." The Times adds "many employees have not received their full paychecks in more than a month, and former and current pilots have complained in recent months that the company is not following internationally recognized safety norms." Star Alliance notes that its decision to suspend Air India's entrance "leaves room to discuss a potential Alliance membership at a future stage, if deemed appropriate by both parties." However, given the tone surrounding the news, attaining entrance into Star Alliance seems like an uphill battle for the Indian carrier. http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/08/air-india-star-alliance/179477/1 Back to Top Tiger still grounded as regulator runs safety checks THE ban on Tiger Airways flying in Australia is expected to remain in force until at least late this week, after the air safety regulator sought more time to assess the airline's response to conditions placed on its licence. A hearing scheduled for the Federal Court in Melbourne yesterday to consider Tiger's suspension was adjourned until tomorrow. It is the third time the hearing has been adjourned and it is understood it could be delayed again because the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has to be satisfied Tiger will meet conditions imposed on its air operator's certificate before lifting the ban. The earliest CASA is now expected to lift the suspension is late this week, while some sources said yesterday that a final decision could be as far away as early next week. Although Tiger can resume flying as soon as the ban is lifted, it is likely to need extra time to sell tickets and organise flight crews and ground staff. It had previously planned to resume flying on Saturday. The budget airline was grounded on July 1 due to serious safety concerns, frustrating thousands of passengers and costing the airline about $1.7 million a week. Speculation is mounting that Tony Davis, who stepped down last month from his role as chief executive of the parent company in Singapore to become boss of Tiger Australia, will be replaced within weeks. Yesterday Tiger said Mr Davis would remain in his new role for the ''foreseeable future''. A CASA spokesman said the regulator wanted to complete as soon as possible the assessment of Tiger's response to conditions placed on its air operator's certificate. ''[But] we can't put a date yet on when we will be able to make a decision on whether Tiger can resume flying,'' he said. Tiger said that it would make an announcement ''at the appropriate time'' about a date for resuming flights and tickets sales in Australia. The airline is expected to scale back its network in Australia when the ban is eventually lifted, including the likelihood of it pulling out of the Lindsay Fox-owned Avalon Airport near Geelong. ''It is going to require dramatic surgery [to turn around Tiger's fortunes],'' an insider said. Tiger executives will also face investors on Thursday when they deliver the airline's first- quarter earnings results in Singapore. Tiger, in which Singapore Airlines has a 33 per cent stake, has 10 Airbus 320 planes based here. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/tiger-still-grounded-as-regulator-runs- safety-checks-20110801-1i83a.html#ixzz1TsFd1DyW Back to Top EASA Updates A330 Flight Control AD The European Aviation Safety Agency has updated its airworthiness guidance for Airbus A330s and A340s related to a concern regarding the widebodies' flight control laws. Last year, EASA issued an airworthiness directive (AD) highlighting a flaw in the existing flight control system. In certain circumstances, a pilot could reengage the aircraft's autopilot after it has disconnected due to unreliable speed information when such a move should not be possible. In some instances, the reengaged autopilot, using erroneous speed information, could result in an abrupt pitch up command. The new AD notes that Airbus has now issued new flight control computer software standards "that will inhibit autopilot engagement under unreliable airspeed conditions." EASA says that it considers the upgrade of the three flight control computers the terminating action for the AD. Carriers have 10 months from the issuance of the AD on August 2 to upgrade or modify the flight control computer software according to the prescribed standards. http://www.aviationweek.com/ Back to Top ATSB probes Qantas, Virgin 737 separation incident The Australia Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a 29 July incident in which two Boeing 737s infringed separation standards. One of the 737s, with registration number VH-VZC, belongs to Qantas. The other, with registration number VH-VOT, is a Virgin aircraft. Both aircraft were flying from Melbourne to Brisbane. The incident occurred at 07:57hrs local time. "While in a holding pattern before approach to Brisbane Airport, the flight crew operating the Qantas aircraft observed an emerging separation breakdown between it and another aircraft. As soon as this occurred the flight crew notified air traffic control, which immediately issued instructions to the other aircraft to restore the minimum separation distance," said a Qantas spokesman. ATSB has classified this as a "breakdown of coordination" occurrence, and it is still investigating the incident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top First flight of Air India's 787 cut short by failed sensor Air India's first 787 made its maiden flight 31 July, though the sortie was cut short by a declared emergency traced to a failed sensor. Operating as Boeing 233, Airplane 29, wearing Air India's colours, departed Paine Field at Boeing's Everett, Washington facility at 12:46 local time on a standard B-1 production flight for an initial checkout of the aircraft's systems. Dubbed ZA233, the aircraft took off with an estimated 5h of fuel aboard and four crew, according to recorded air traffic communications. The flight marked only the third production 787 to fly to date, with the first, Airplane Nine, ZA102, flying in January, followed in March by Airplane 23, ZA177, for Japan Airlines. Minutes after departure, the aircraft reported that it was "working a little bit of a flap problem and we might be returning" to Everett before formally declaring an emergency at 12:55 local time, requesting a return to Paine Field, citing an issue with its flight controls. Boeing says the aircraft "performed a safe landing" at 13:12 local time and the issue was traced to a failed sensor. The airframer declined to offer any additional information on the type of the sensor or nature of the flight control issue. ZA233 is expected to be eventually registered as VT-AND, but has been assigned a temporary US registration of N1006N. The aircraft, which is powered by two General Electric GEnx-1B engines, will be ferried to San Antonio, Texas where Boeing has established a refurbishment and change incorporation facility for both 787s and 747-8s. Air India'a first will join ZA177, which has been in Texas since March. The airframer expects initial type certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce 'Package A' Trent 1000 engines in late August, with General Electric certification to come later in the fourth quarter. First delivery to Air India is slated for sometime late in the fourth quarter. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Three in hospital after Air Evac helicopter hits power line An an Air Evac helicopter hit a power line on its way back from picking up a patient in a car accident. According to WRCB in Chattanooga, a spokesperson for Erlanger Medical Center said an Air Evac helicopter was called to cover a vehicle crash in Polk County. Three people were injured in the crash and emergency responders were planning to take two by ambulance and one by a chopper. Once the helicopter landed, it picked up a patient and was on its way back up when it hit a power line and came back down. A spokesperson from Air Evac said the helicopter made a safe landing. No one in the chopper was injured in the hard landing. Authorties called UT to send Lifestar and called Erlanger for a chopper as well. All three patients are now at Erlanger in stable condition. http://www.wbir.com/news/article/178498/2/Three-in-hospital-after-Air-Evac-helicopter- hits-power-line Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC