Flight Safety Information August 16, 2011 - No. 168 In This Issue Continental's ALPA Chief Welcomes Pilot Fatigue Plan Incident: Republic E170 at Washington on Aug 14th 2011, smoke in cabin FAA denies runway zone at LaGuardia shortened Jet flight aborted after passenger finds threat note Tiger Airways faces major fight to regain confidence Change in solar activity brings increased radiation risk to air passengers Helicopter safety body should have 'all-encompassing' power Man arrested for shining powerful laser at police helicopter Delta begins tablet EFB test; eyes communication transformation Hawaiian creates new maintenance position Hawker 800XPR receives FAA certification SpaceX plans November test flight to space station Continental's ALPA Chief Welcomes Pilot Fatigue Plan Jay Pierce, chairman of Continental Airlines' Air Line Pilots Association chapter, is applauding moves to implement a new fatigue risk management system for the work group. The lack of a fatigue plan has for some time been a major concern for Pierce, and he again raised the issue late last month when United Continental Holdings complained about the cancellation of Continental Boeing 737 services at its Newark Liberty International hub because of an apparent sick-out. According to ALPA, the airline developed the fatigue plan earlier this year and was granted approval by FAA June 23. "Under the Continental plan, pilots can now file a fatigue report similar to the process currently used for the safety-oriented aviation safety action program (ASAP)," says the union. United Continental confirms "this was a Continental-developed program" that was approved by FAA in June. United's pilots also have a fatigue risk management system, although it differs from the program developed for Continental. Pierce in a statement says, "This is an important step in achieving our goals of having fatigue issues evaluated by safety professionals, rather than flight operations management personnel, and of providing a pay mechanism for our pilots so that they are no longer faced with financial disincentives to safety or punitive action when fatigued. "We have always believed that the way a fatigue event is handled should mirror the ASAP process that has dramatically helped to increase aviation safety, and we welcome the new program," he adds. According to ALPA, pilots are now allowed to record fatigue as a reason for changes to their work schedule, and this categorization will now be reviewed by a committee to determine of the reason was operational-such as how the pilot was scheduled, or mechanical and weather issues-or non-operational. "Such review and categorization helps identify core causes of fatigue and allows for a systematic approach to preventing future fatigue events and increasing safety. Corrective actions could include modifying pilot schedules and flight pairings that can lead to fatigue, and providing additional awareness and training of fatigue issues," says ALPA. "With this new process, we can now begin to find and correct for the root causes of fatigue, without the pilots being concerned about whether they will be penalized for calling in. There's still more to do, but we're pleased that the plan is now being implemented," adds Pierce. http://www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Incident: Republic E170 at Washington on Aug 14th 2011, smoke in cabin A Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of US Airways, registration N122HQ performing flight RW-3353/US-3353 from Washington National,DC to Kansas City,MO (USA), was departing from Ronald Reagan Airport's runway 01 at 11:12pm local (03:12Z Aug 15th) with a delay of about 3 hours due to severe weather and was in the initial climb when the crew declared emergency reporting they apparently had smoke in the cabin. The aircraft levelled off at 4000 feet and diverted to Washington's International Airport for a safe landing on Dulles Airport's runway 01R about 15 minutes after departure. The flight was subsequently cancelled, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights reaching their destination with delays of around 12 hours. A passenger reported the passengers observed smell of smoke in the cabin. The aircraft was evacuated via slides after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4415a694&opt=0 Back to Top FAA denies runway zone at LaGuardia shortened Group charges location of garbage center will endanger passengers "This is a colossally stupid idea," group says FAA says runway protection zone unchanged U.S. Transportation Department had panel review plan (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration denied Monday charges it had altered a runway protection zone around New York's LaGuardia airport to accommodate a controversial New York City garbage transfer center. A coalition of aviation safety advocates, Friends of LaGuardia, which is suing the FAA, New York state and New York City to block construction of the large facility, alleges the Aviation Administration shortened the protection zone around the airport's eastern-most runway so there would be room for the construction site. "Literally the lives of travelers and the lives of New Yorkers are at stake. This is a colossally stupid idea to locate a city garbage transfer station on the edge of an airport runway," said Randy Mastro, attorney for Friends of LaGuardia and litigation director at Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. "FAA altered in the dead of night what it considers to be the danger zone around the airport." The coalition claims FAA quietly shortened the runway protection zone by 800 feet to allow the trash transfer facility to fall outside the zone. However, a person familiar with the situation told CNN that FAA never changed its runway protection zone around LaGuardia and that it is not large enough to include the plant site, across Flushing Bay from runway 31 at the airport. "The planned Marine Transfer Station near LaGuardia Airport is not located inside the Runway Protection Zone at the airport," FAA announced in a written statement. Four years ago, FAA said, it had received a proposal from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, operator of LaGuardia Airport, to expand the protection zone by 800 feet to permit a new landing approach for LaGuardia. That expanded zone would have included the garbage plant site. But the proposal was withdrawn, FAA said, after it determined the landing approach procedure was not feasible. The so-called Marine Transfer Station is scheduled to receive garbage trucks from across the borough of Queens beginning in 2013 and to transfer the refuse to barges that will ship the waste out of state for disposal. FAA's parent, the Department of Transportation, had an independent technical panel review the Sanitation Department's plan. The city intends to enclose the facility and have barges of garbage sealed to limit their attraction to birds. After its analysis, the panel gave a thumbs up to the trash center. "The FAA thinks it's safe and they're the professionals," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told CNN. New York has engaged in "bird kills" to keep geese, seagulls and other birds away from airport runways. Critics claim the garbage could attract large birds that can be sucked into jet engines, endangering aircraft. "Bird strikes" can cause airplane engines to stall. That's precisely what forced US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia on January 15, 2009. Sullenberger has spoken out against the New York garbage facility project. Back to Top Jet flight aborted after passenger finds threat note Minutes before taking off from the city a Jet Airways flight carrying more than 100 passengers on Sunday aborted its journey after a passenger found an anonymous note stating a security threat to the flight. The incident took place around 8 pm soon after boarding was completed. A Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the incident. "An anonymous note citing a non-specific security threat was found by a guest on board flight number 9W 552 from Mumbai to Doha," the spokesperson said. An alert was immediately sent out to the CISF force and airport staff. The aircraft was brought back and passengers were safely disembarked. The airline spokesperson added that the flight was re-scheduled for take-off at 10.30 pm following a rigorous inspection till the time of going to press. Security agencies, meanwhile, are investigating how the note escaped the airline crew's notice before it began boarding. According to rules, the crew thoroughly checks the aircraft cabin before it is deputed on flight duty. "We are talking to the airline staff on duty to get to the bottom of this," said a security official. The incident led to chaos because the airport is witnessing heightened security for a week owing to the Independence Day. "Passengers can feel the extra security cover. An incident of this nature during heightened security is bound to create panic," added the security personnel. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Jet-flight-aborted-after-passenger-finds-threat- note/Article1-733756.aspx Back to Top Tiger Airways faces major fight to regain confidence TIGER Airways Australia was warned yesterday that it faced a massive uphill battle to regain consumer confidence as it started limited services between Melbourne and Sydney. The airline ended a six-week grounding over safety concerns with three return services between Melbourne and Sydney. Tiger has been deemed safe to fly by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, but must adhere to mandatory conditions and has been warned that breaches will be treated seriously. It has reduced its fleet from 10 to eight aircraft, closed all bases except Melbourne, and is restricted for the rest of this month to a maximum of nine return services a day. The airline will boost services to four a day tomorrow, before moving to five, with the plan of gradually rebuilding its network. Melbourne Business School associate professor of business strategy Doug Dow said Tiger faced a monumental task to regain public trust, and he could not recall any major airline that had recovered from such a grounding. Professor Dow, a former aviation engineer, said consumer fear was likely to outweigh the facts about the airline's safety, and putting cheap fares in the market could exacerbate this. "It's a monstrous uphill battle for them," he said "And that doesn't necessarily mean they've done anything wrong -- it's just that consumers will do what they believe and please. "And once they've been frightened, I suspect it's going to be really hard to turn them around." Professor Dow said Tiger's forte had been cheap fares, but this could lead potential customers to fear it was cutting corners. And the catch with cheap fares was that airlines were sensitive to volume. "If Coles or Woolworths had a 10 per cent drop in sales, they'd be upset but it wouldn't bankrupt the company," he said. "For an airline, that much drop in volume can hurt many, many times more because it's just so much more affected by fixed costs." The saving grace for Tiger was that it had operations in Singapore and backers such as Singapore Airlines, something not available to the low-cost carriers that failed in Australia in the 1990s. But it would still be a case of how long it made sense to lose money before sales recovered. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/tiger-airways-faces-major-fight-to-regain- confidence/story-e6frg8zx-1226114072681 Back to Top Change in solar activity brings increased radiation risk to air passengers Radiation risks to airplanes and spacecraft are likely to increase when the Sun moves from its present grand solar maximum to lower levels of activity, says research from the University of Reading. The researchers say this a serious concern because our present day engineering, design, operation and insurance of vulnerable technology is based on past experience from the space age and does not yet account for long-term change in space climate. The scientists have paid particular attention to the radiation effects on aircraft crew and passengers on long-distance flights. The Sun has been in a 'grand solar maximum' which has already lasted longer than any other such maximum in the past 9.3 millennia and is expected to end soon. The changes in near-Earth space that will result will return Earth to conditions that last prevailed before the advent of susceptible modern operational systems, such as spacecraft, power distribution grids and aircraft. The study says that at cruise altitudes of commercial aviation, particularly at higher latitudes, high-energy ionising radiations such as Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) pose threats through single event upsets in electronics critical to flight safety, and through the radiation exposure of crew and passengers. GCRs are high energy particles generated by supernovae explosions in our galaxy and, because of the shielding effect of our Sun's magnetic field, they give a continuous radiation dose throughout the solar system that increases during a solar activity minimum and decreases during a solar maximum. SEPs are bursts of energetic particles that are formed from supersonic ejections of material from the solar atmosphere. The work was led by Mike Lockwood, professor of Space Environment Physics at the University of Reading and his PhD student Luke Barnard. Professor Lockwood said: "Radiation standards for avionics are based only on experience from the current grand solar maximum and there are no regulations concerning passenger exposure." The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends a 1 mSv limit for the annual dose received by a member of the public. Dosages during a flight depend on path, duration and altitude as well as on the level of solar activity. A commercial eight-hour polar flight during the 2003 'Halloween' SEP event would have given 70% of this recommended annual limit and it is estimated that the largest known SEP event, the 'Carrington event' of 1859, would have given 20 times the limit. Even without a SEP event, GCRs mean that the recommended limit corresponded to only five round trips (of two such flights each) during the recent solar minimum. The researchers at Reading have studied how these dosages are likely to increase in the future as solar activity declines. Professor Lockwood said: "All the evidence suggests that the Sun will shortly exit from a grand solar maximum that has persisted since before the start of the space age. This analysis shows that the risk of the space-weather effects is considerably enhanced over the next century compared to the space age thus far." The researchers use past experience to predict that there is an 8% chance of the Sun falling to grand minimum conditions over the next 40 years, giving enhanced dosages of GCR radiation which is of concern for aircraft avionics, crew and passengers. The risk of large SEP events is higher at middling levels of solar activity and so is initially enhanced in this case but then decreases to almost zero during the grand minimum itself. A more likely scenario, predicted from the mean of all previous examples, is a more modest rise in the GCR fluxes but an enhanced risk of a large SEP event. There is only a 5% chance that the SEP risk and the GCR hazard will increase only slightly above those for the present solar cycle. The study noted that both GCR and SEP events will be amplified by the probable continuation of the decrease in the geomagnetic field, and the shielding it provides, that has been observed over the past 160 years. http://www.healthcanal.com/public-health-safety/19666-Change-solar-activity-brings- increased-radiation-risk-air-passengers.html Back to Top Helicopter safety body should have 'all-encompassing' power: report ST. JOHN'S, NFLD.- The Canadian Press - An inquiry report into offshore helicopter safety off Newfoundland and Labrador says a proposed independent regulator should have "all-encompassing" oversight of chopper safety. Commissioner Robert Wells recommended in his report released Monday that the safety regulator should be able to take any action it considers necessary to prevent the risk of injury or death. His report is the second stemming from an inquiry that was launched after Cougar Flight 491 crashed east of Newfoundland on March 12, 2009, killing 17 of 18 people on board. His first report, released in November, called for the establishment of an offshore safety body or an autonomous division within the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board. Critics have accused the board of a conflict of interest because it is tasked with developing the province's offshore resources to the maximum extent while also protecting workers and the environment. The board declined comment Monday, saying it is reviewing the report and will make its position known once that's complete. Mr. Wells said the new agency he is calling for should take into account Transport Canada's role, but also have the ability to take action independently on mechanical problems. "The public does not compartmentalize safety into separate sectors, with air safety being a matter only for Transport Canada," he said in his report. "To express it bluntly, I envisage a safety regulator for the offshore as having a mandate to learn about the background of any equipment being used or to be used in the offshore, including helicopters. "It should have the knowledge and authority to say when additional measures are needed and the duty to pursue improvements." He also calls for the creation of a board of citizens to advise the proposed regulator. Mr. Wells said he agrees with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada finding that all helicopters be capable of flying for 30 minutes after losing oil - even if it means retrofitting older model choppers. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has said it would not be practical to require all existing helicopters be equipped with main gearboxes that meet that 30-minute requirement, citing costs. But it said a rule change for gearboxes is proposed for future aircraft. Mr. Wells, a retired judge with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, was asked to assess whether helicopter travel is as safe as possible to offshore oil sites more than 300 kilometres east of St. John's. A spokeswoman for Transport Canada said the agency is already working with industry and the offshore regulator to share information that enhances safety. "The department will learn from the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board enquiry and recommendations, as it continues to work with all stakeholders on information sharing procedures that enhance safety," wrote spokeswoman Maryse Durette in an e-mail. Mr. Wells said in an interview that he expects that the federal and provincial governments will move on his key recommendation to set up a separate agency with distinct safety powers. The change would have to take place through a modification of the Atlantic Accord, a federal-provincial agreement that sets up the powers of the offshore regulator. "I think it will take some months. Governments ... can't move in a day or a week," he said. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/atlantic/helicopter-safety-body-should- have-all-encompassing-power-report/article2130619/ Back to Top Man arrested for shining powerful laser at police helicopter (California) A 30-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after he allegedly flashed a high-powered blue laser twice at a Glendale police helicopter, officials said. Avo Garabedian was taken into custody about 10 p.m. at Calle La Primavera in Glendale on suspicion of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft after the aircrew spotted him and he tried fleeing the scene, said Glendale Police Sgt. Steve Robertson, who oversees the air unit. The incident was the first time that the aircrew has been struck with a one-watt, or 1,000 milliwatt, blue light laser, which is significantly more powerful than a green laser, Robertson said. Green lasers have been typically used in laser pointing incidents involving police helicopters. "We look at this as an assault on our flight crew," he said, adding that no one was injured in the incident. The blue laser, he said, has been advertised as the most powerful handheld laser made and strong enough to burn through plastic. The laser is even shown in video footage as being powerful enough to start a match, said Robertson, who also teaches aviation safety at USC. "Just imagine what that could do to someone's retinas," he said. The helicopter was flying east on the Foothill (210) Freeway, near the Glendale (2) Freeway, when they were suddenly struck by the laser, Robertson said. The crew couldn't initially find the source of the laser, so they continued flying east. But after the second laser blast, they were able to pinpoint the source to a fire road about a mile and half away and east of the Glendale police shooting range. Robertson said they saw Garabedian and another man running out of the fire road and enter a vehicle. Patrol units were dispatched to the Camino San Rafael and Calle La Primavera area, where they stopped the pair. Garabedian is the third arrest made this summer in connection with pointing lasers at a police helicopter. The Federal Aviation Administration has recorded 14 laser-pointing incidents for aircraft at or near Bob Hope Airport so far this year, agency spokesman Ian Gregor said. Pilots reported 17 laser-pointing incidents in 2010 for the same area, he added. Still, Gregor said pilots are reporting fewer incidents this year in the Los Angeles region compared to the same time last year. "It could be that the people who were arrested were responsible for a significant number of laser incidents," Gregor said. http://www.lacanadaonline.com/tn-gnp-man-arrested-for-shining-powerful-laser-at- police-helicopter-20110815,0,6239132.story Back to Top Delta begins tablet EFB test; eyes communication transformation SkyTeam alliance member Delta Air Lines has started testing Apple iPads as electronic flight bags (EFBs), as part of a broader plan to transform how it communicates with its global, mobile pilot workforce. In a weekly update, obtained by Air Transport Intelligence and Flightglobal, Delta senior vice-president-flight operations Steve Dickson revealed the carrier has deployed 22 of the tablet devices to pilots for testing in flight. Each test device is loaded with an identical suite, and pilots involved in the programme have the capability to download additional apps that customise the product and lend to Delta's capabilities. "We're loading Jeppesen Mobile TC charting software, a GoodReader document viewer that contains all of our manuals in an electronic format, and the Journey browser, which allows access to iCrew. A Delta Meteorology app provides access to pilot-tailored graphical weather information and real-time looped Delta radar. Each pilot will have access to their Delta e-mail account and calendar," said Dickson. "The tablets have also been loaded with a writing app for notes, an Atomic web browser, a PDF viewer, a Wi-Fi finder app, and crew rest and cruise rest period calculators. Both Wi-Fi and 3G are available domestically." Delta has already fitted its domestic fleet with Gogo's air-to-ground (ATG)-based in-flight Wi-Fi solution, and has been studying connectivity options for its international fleet. The carrier's goal is to determine the viability of tablets to allow it to remain continuously connected with its pilots. "Where we are currently constrained for touch points between the OCC [operational control centre] and Flight Ops, a tablet device opens the door for us to have nearly unlimited communication access," said Dickson, noting that the carrier can push important information to pilots regardless of location in real time. "Imagine having searchable information for all facets of the operation that is always up to date with 'pushed' information. We can use a tablet device to transform our training and eliminate different operating system limitations," he said. "Our IROP [irregular operations] recovery time will decrease with instant communication capability." The Delta executive said the carrier can also explore on-line base visits where pilots can interact with leadership from anywhere in the world. "We are going to pursue real-time security advisories, reroute information and electronic auto sign-in when [pilots] are in range of the airport or a specific gate. A tablet device sets the foundation for a paperless cockpit of course with flight plan and charter packet uploads, theatre guides and trans-oceanic step by step information, simplified NOTAMs, e-Checklists, and instant reporting access just to name a few opportunities. Essentially, we have only begun to identify the limitless possibilities, and there is no question that we see this as a potential to change the way we do business both immediately and long- term," added Dickson. Once the iPad tests are complete, Delta will swap the platforms to 16 Motorola Xooms with Android OS by mid-September. The airline is also evaluating options for a third tablet device. Some 50 evaluation pilots are divided into three groups for testing each product. Each tester has been authorised to use the tablet pre-flight and above 10,000ft, and all participants have been advised that the tablet is to be used only for operational purposes. "Although the focus is currently on our domestic operation due to constraints with Wi-Fi and cellular contracts, the evaluator pilots come from all fleets and include instructors, Line Check Pilots, AQFOs, and ALPA and Chief Pilot Office representatives," said Delta. "Over 50% of the testers are line pilots currently not holding any additional positions. Many have technical expertise, but roughly a quarter of our testers rated themselves as 'tech un-savvy'. We need to make sure a solution is user friendly to any pilot, no matter their IT skill level while providing us a top of the line product that gives us long term expansion capabilities." Dickson stressed that Delta is not looking at this concept as simply a traditional EFB. "We have expanded our vision beyond how other carriers are utilising tablet devices and see its potential as a complete two-way communication tool," said Dickson. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Hawaiian creates new maintenance position Hawaiian Airlines has appointed Steven Borzilleri to the new position of managing director for Hawaii maintenance. The carrier stated it created the position to oversee all of its maintenance activities in the state of Hawaii. Borzilleri has held maintenance positions at US Airways including director of technical operations support and hub director for line maintenance. "Steve has an impressive and diverse background in aviation maintenance that will serve Hawaiian's needs very well as we continue to move forward with our plan to add more new aircraft to our fleet operations and expand our service to new destinations abroad," said Charles Nardello, Hawaiian's senior vice president of operations. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Hawker 800XPR receives FAA certification Hawker Beechcraft has received Federal Aviation Administration certification for its Hawker 800XPR package of upgrades available to current owners of the Hawker 800XP. The upgrades replace the original engines with new technology Honeywell TFE731-50R powerplants and winglets for improved aerodynamics. The first delivery is scheduled for early September. The company is also offering a similar upgrade package to its Hawker 400XP. Read more: http://blogs.kansas.com/aviation/2011/08/15/hawker-800xpr-receives-faa- certification/#ixzz1VAFxVSQu Back to Top SpaceX plans November test flight to space station WASHINGTON (AFP) - California-based rocket maker SpaceX said that it will make a test flight in late November to the International Space Station, now that NASA has retired its space shuttle program. "SpaceX has been hard at work preparing for our next flight -- a mission designed to demonstrate that a privately-developed space transportation system can deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS)," the company, also called Space Exploration Technologies, said in a statement. The mission is the second to be carried out by SpaceX, one of a handful of firms competing to make a spaceship to replace the now-defunct US shuttle, which had been used to carry supplies and equipment to the orbiting outpost. "NASA has given us a November 30, 2011 launch date, which should be followed nine days later by Dragon berthing at the ISS," the company said. It said the arrival of the vessel at the space station would herald "the beginning of a new era in space travel." "Together, government and the private sector can simultaneously increase the reliability, safety and frequency of space travel, while greatly reducing the costs," SpaceX said. The company won $75 million in new seed money earlier this year, after it became the first to successfully send its own space capsule, the gumdrop-shaped Dragon, into orbit and back in December 2010. The shuttle Atlantis completed its final journey to the ISS and back last month, ending the 30-year-old US space shuttle program. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC