Flight Safety Information September 13, 2011 - No. 189 In This Issue FAA expects to land $5.4B in stopgap funds FAA proposes to fine company over Southwest jetliner maintenance Lufthansa Can't Push Pilots to Retire at Age 60, EU Court Says Putin urges to put air travels safety atop of commercial considerations DFW Airport Evaluates Security after Scare 2 dogs on airport runway in Alaska's capital city Bird strike a potential threat to aviation safety in Taipei GCAA launches large-scale aviation safety and security awareness campaign Study focuses on gulf helicopter crashes New tool can ensure better safety on planes FAA expects to land $5.4B in stopgap funds The FAA is likely to win approval of a deal in the House to keep the agency running. After an ugly shutdown that furloughed thousands of employees in July, the Federal Aviation Administration should win quick approval of a deal in the House Tuesday to keep the agency running. Without any action, the agency that oversees the country's airways would have partially shuttered this Friday. The measure, which is expected to come to the House floor Tuesday, also temporarily extends funding to the nation's highways and other transportation projects, which otherwise would have expired Sept. 30. The breakthrough is an early sign that this fall session of Congress might not be dominated by threat of a government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in both chambers seem poised to push the FAA bill across the finish line with little acrimony. Congressional leaders reached a deal on the twin measures late Friday. Under the agreement, the FAA gets about $5.4 billion to keep the agency running until Jan. 31, while the highway projects get roughly $20 billion to take them until March 31 - which keeps them at the same level of funding as the current fiscal year. The federal gas tax, which collects 18.4 cents per gallon and was due to expire at the end of this month, also will be extended through March. Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, praised the agreement and noted that a Republican House-passed measure would have imposed deep cuts in transportation funding. "The original House proposal would have cut spending by more than 30 percent, which would threaten hundreds of thousands of construction workers' jobs and thousands of businesses," Boxer, a California Democrat, said in a statement Monday. Both the aviation and highway measures had been bogged down in disputes between Democrats and Republicans this year. Republicans had pushed for a long-term FAA bill including a provision that would make it more difficult for airline workers to unionize. And in the short-term bill, Republicans and Democrats had clashed over millions in subsidies to rural airports that the GOP contended were wasteful. Those arguments eventually led to a two-week partial shutdown of the FAA that furloughed 4,000 agency employees, left an additional 70,000 construction workers in limbo. That also resulted in $400 million in uncollected airline taxes. Tuesday's FAA measure doesn't include the labor provisions, nor does it cut subsidies for rural airports. It also does not directly address back pay for furloughed FAA workers, but House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica has backed a separate, bipartisan bill introduced four days after the FAA reopened that would give the employees their paychecks retroactively. Meanwhile, the longer-term highway bill has been tied up in a dispute between House Republicans and Senate Democrats. House Republicans had called for six-year, $230 billion extension of transportation funding, while Senate Democrats had proposed a two-year, $109 billion bill. President Barack Obama had publicly pressured Congress for an extension of FAA and transportation funding, telling lawmakers to stop dragging their feet. He also insisted that not approving funding could have led to the loss of nearly 1 million jobs. Though transportation projects generally get bipartisan backing, Tuesday's measure could face opposition from fiscal conservatives since it's a higher level of spending than what was approved in the House Republican budget earlier this year. But the extension measure will be considered under "unanimous consent" rules, a procedure usually reserved for non-controversial legislation. Earlier in the day, it was listed as under "suspension of the rules," which means approval by two-thirds rather than a simple majority. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63293.html#ixzz1Xpf5yOfx Back to Top FAA proposes to fine company over Southwest jetliner maintenance The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a $1.1 million fine against Aviation Technical Services for making improper repairs on 44 Southwest Airlines jets. The FAA says Aviation Technical did not complete all the work required by airworthiness directives that called for repetitive inspections of fuselage skins to find and repair fatigue cracks. The aircraft are Boeing 737-300s and were operated from Dec. 1, 2006, to Sept, 18, 2009, without the proper maintenance, the FAA said. "Safety is our highest priority and improper work that compromises safety is not acceptable," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "Passengers have the right to expect the nation's airlines to operate properly maintained airplanes." The agency also alleges that the company did not install fasteners in all the rivet holes after the inspections, which are part of Southwest's maintenance program. In April, a Southwest aircraft had a hole appear in midflight in its fuselage skin, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Yuma, Ariz. The FAA said that that jet was not involved in this proposed fine and that ATS did not perform inspection work on the plane before the fuselage failure. Southwest also had another aircraft involved in a midflight fuselage rupture in July 2009 but that incident is also not part of this civil penalty. Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said Aviation Technical continues to perform maintenance work for Southwest. A phone call to Aviation Technical was not returned. The company has 30 days to appeal the fine. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/12/3361794/faa-proposes-to-fine- company-over.html#ixzz1XpaOr95g Back to Top Lufthansa Can't Push Pilots to Retire at Age 60, EU Court Says (Bloomberg) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG's rules that set the retirement age for pilots at 60 are unlawful, the European Union's highest court said. "Prohibiting airline pilots from working after the age of 60 constitutes discrimination on grounds of age," the EU Court of Justice said in a statement on today's ruling in Luxembourg. "While the right to act as a pilot may be limited from that age, total prohibition goes beyond that which is necessary to ensure air traffic safety." Lufthansa, Europe's second-biggest airline, is being challenged by three former pilots whose contracts were terminated when they reached 60. The pilots, Reinhard Prigge, Michael Fromm and Volker Lambach, argued the company's rules infringed German and international laws that say pilots can continue to fly until the age of 65, if accompanied by a pilot younger than 60. A German court handling the dispute sought the European tribunal's guidance in 2009 on whether rules that limit the age for pilots at 60 for air-safety reasons infringe EU laws that prohibit age discrimination. Back to Top Putin urges to put air travels safety atop of commercial considerations (Xinhua)14:18, September 13, 2011 MOSCOW, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Passengers safety must be the unconditional priority and be superior to any commercial considerations, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday. "An airline could be big or small, but if it cannot follow the safety requirements, it must be shut down," Putin told a conference on air transportation safety. "No commercial considerations or development of this industry could be put above the safety considerations," the prime minister said. Putin ordered the government to draft proposals within two weeks on how to resolve the problem, including improving technical conditions of the planes and airports, upgrading the air traffic controlling systems and better training the crews. He also asked to equip all the aircraft, both Russian and foreign-made, with the modern controlling systems and to ground those that could not be upgraded. A YAK-42 passenger plane carrying 45 people crashed last Wednesday after taking off near central Russian city of Yaroslavl, killing 44 people aboard. After the accident, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the crash site and ordered the government to improve the country's air industry safety. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/7594535.html Back to Top Airplane makes emergency landing at Jackson- Evers International Airport RANKIN COUNTY, MS (WLBT) - Some tense moments for passengers aboard a flight diverted to Jackson- Evers International Airport today. Airport spokesperson Bonnie Wilson says the Continental Express flight from Knoxville to Houston landed safely around 11:45 am. Emergency responders were on hand as a precaution when the plane arrived. The pilot reported hearing a small pop in the cockpit and smelled smoke but did not see any smoke. There were 52 people on board the Continental Express extended regional jet. Officials say Continental crews made repairs and officials say the aircraft resumed its schedule by 12:30 pm. http://www.wlbt.com/story/15445971/airplane-makes-emergency-landing-at-medgar- evers-international-airport Back to Top DFW Airport Evaluates Security after Scare Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is taking a closer look at security after a rental truck hauling weapons shut down part of the facility on Sunday. Airport officials said they are studying the security scare to see if any changes need to be made at DFW, specifically when it comes to vehicles. The incident unraveled on the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, when DPS officers spotted the box truck parked at the curb outside terminal B, as hundreds of troops were arriving from the Middle East. Officers discovered an assault rifle, pistol and pyrotechnic equipment inside the vehicle , prompting the closure of the terminal and its roadways shut down for hours while the FBI and a bomb squad investigated. Officials determined the driver of the truck was a stuntman for a Discovery Channel show who had gone to DFW to pick up a crewmember. The production company apologized for the "colossal" mistake, but it raised questions about why vehicles driving into the airport are not screened. "Unfortuantely, that's been a concern," DFW Airport spokesman David Magana said. "It's still a concern." The airport said screening each and every vehicle is unrealistic and would significantly slow traffic. Additionally, vehicle screening at U.S. airports is not normal procedure unless the terror alert level is raised. Safety improvements have been made at DFW since the attacks, including concrete barriers outside all terminals, but officials will determine if they will take additional measures. During the security scare, no flights or operations were affected. Read more on myFOXdfw.com: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/091211-DFW- Airport-Evaluates-Security-after-Scare#ixzz1XpbokNR2 Back to Top 2 dogs on airport runway in Alaska's capital city delay Alaska Airlines jet landing JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Two dogs on an airport runway in Alaska's capital city delayed the landing of an Alaska Airlines flight. The plane had to abort its initial attempt and circle around before it could land at Juneau International Airport. Deputy Airport Manager Patty deLaBruere (deh'-lah-BREE'-air) tells KINY-AM (http://bit.ly/24LLCy ) that Flight 64 from Anchorage was arriving Sunday afternoon when two black Labrador retrievers were spotted on the runway. Chava Lee of the Gastineau Humane Society says an animal control officer caught one of the dogs. Another dog matching the description was found in the area, but officials weren't sure if it was the right dog. KINY reports the owner of the dog caught on the runway is out of town, and the animal was in someone else's care. Lee says the dog's owner will be cited. It's unknown how the canines got to the runway. Back to Top Bird strike a potential threat to aviation safety in Taipei Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) warned Sunday that wild pigeons are accumulating in various spots in the vicinity of Taipei International Airport, or Songshan Airport, with the closest one being only 300 meters away from the runway. The FSF used radio tracking to determine the distribution of pigeon flocks around the airport from Jan. 1 to May 14 and found about 10 spots where the wild birds gathered. According to FSF, the spots include Chengmei Riverside Park and Yingfeng Riverside Park, which are only 300 m and 390 m away from the runway, respectively. FSF recorded 149 pigeons in Chengmei Park and 98 pigeons in Yingfeng Park. Among the 10 areas, the farthest danger zone is Minsheng Park -- 1,270 m away from the runway. Chengmei and Yingfeng, along with Xinsheng Park (670 m away), pose the greatest potential threat for planes during takeoffs and landings. The foundation attributes the flock accumulation to bird feeding. Its survey found that the wild birds clustered in the areas when certain people appeared. It added that although there are signs telling the public to stop feeding pigeons in the parks, the signs do not indicate the danger to airplanes. The general public might be unaware of the potential danger when they feed the birds. Taiwan's Civil Aviation Act prohibits raising birds within a radius of 5 km from the airport runway. Violators will face fines between NT$300,000 (US$102,67) and NT$1.5 million, and the facilities will be torn down. But the act does not cover bird feeding in the vicinity of airports. The Civil Aeronautics Administration said it will consider the inclusion of bird feeding in the Civil Aviation Act. Bird strikes have been an issue at home and abroad. Taiwan has reported some incidents, but no major casualties, in recent years. An infamous bird strike incident occurred in 2009 in New York, blowing out both engines of an US Airways flight and forcing it to land on the Hudson River. Back to Top GCAA launches large-scale aviation safety and security awareness campaign with dedicated website to provide campaign information United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, September 07 - 2011 at 16:52 Inline with the overall strategies of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and its continuous pursue to achieve the highest levels of civil aviation safety and security, the authority launched a large-scale awareness campaign with the slogan 'Love Your Sky', which runs until end of December 2011 in cooperation with several organizations in the sector. Aiming at raising awareness with the flight and passenger safety all over the UAE, this campaign will focus on a wide range of topics and issues that constantly face passengers and cause damage or disturbance whether to airports or carriers or passengers. The campaign will be using various tools, technologies, media and advertising methods to ensure the widest spread, and thus, achieving its goals. During a press conference held in Dubai today to mark the launch of the campaign, H.E Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, said, "Although the United Arab Emirates boasts an excellent passenger and flight safety and security record, it is an urgent need to constantly seek to achieve the highest security and safety standards. In this regard, the General Civil Aviation Authority cooperates with civil aviation departments and national carriers in the country to achieve this purpose and maintain the achievement. " "It is very important to all players in the UAE civil aviation sector that the GCAA remains fully focused in terms of improving flight and passenger safety and security, thus, all procedures taken or adopted in this regard must be precautionary and proactive, not depending on reactions. The lack of regular, accurate reviews of safety and security programs would render the best plans unsuccessful," he added. "The General Civil Aviation Authority has worked closely with its valued partners, and inline with its safety and security strategy, to develop an awareness campaign on passenger and flight safety and security, aiming to raise the awareness of all shareholders to keep the country's skies and aviation facilities incident-free, and take safety and security to world-record levels. This takes exerting huge efforts and overcoming difficult challenge, not only for GCAA but also for all departments working within the civil aviation system," he added. "To ensure the widest spread of the campaign along with achieving its goals, a special website www.loveyoursky.com was launched to provide all necessary information, data and updates, in addition to answering questions on the campaign and other related topics, as well as ways to participate," Al Suwaidi concluded. UAE-based carriers offer sponsorship to the campaign, with Etihad Airways being the Golden sponsor, Emirates and Presidential Flight as Silver sponsors. Khaled Al Mehairbi, Senior Vice President Government Affairs and Aeropolitical, Etihad Airways, said, "There is nothing more important to an airline than safety. It is our number one priority at Etihad, and we are happy to support any initiative that enhances safety." "In this case, we are very pleased to be working with our aviation partners in the UAE to being greater awareness to the travelling public about how we can all work together to make sure our skies are safe and secure," Al Mehairbi added. "Safety remains the number one priority for Emirates and we continue to work closely with the GCAA to ensure that our procedures are in line with their stringent safety regulations," said Mohammed Al Khaja, Emirates Senior Vice President Group Safety and Standards. "The 'Love Your Sky' campaign is an excellent initiative from the GCAA and we are proud to be involved with it. Empowering the public to make informed decisions when travelling by air is an essential part of keeping our skies safe. As a leading international airline we remain committed to following worldwide safety best practice and continue to invest significantly in safety training and development." The flight and passenger safety and security awareness campaign in the UAE highlights several issues and aspects that could face any traveler through the various ports of the country, including more than 13 items explained to passengers: Prohibited items: the campaign presents full explanation on dangerous goods, how and why their transport is regulated and where to seek more information on transporting such goods. It also highlights the importance of abiding by those rules and consequences for failing to do so. Carrying others' baggage: this section sheds light on the importance of not carrying other passengers' baggage, except those closely related and only after checking the baggage - as well as the need to declare carrying other people's baggage. Smoking: In this section the passenger knows rules of carrying cigarettes in terms of amounts, and reasons for banning smoking on board, whether they can smoke at the aircraft toilet and what to do in case they can not tolerate long periods without smoking. Radio controlled planes: regulations for their use and importance of selecting the right place for operating them. Allowed baggage weight: this part presents the maximum free weight allowed for one piece of baggage, and the reason why baggage may not exceed 32 kilograms per piece. It also mentions the number of free baggage pieces allowed and the maximum dimensions of baggage checked on the plane or hand baggage carried onboard. Security checks: Explains possibility of avoiding security checks, what happens if a passengers refuses to undergo security checks, and what to do to make the process easier. Disruptive passengers: Defines the disruptive passengers, what makes them behave this way and how should other passengers react if disturbed by another. This section also highlights the consequences of disruptive behavior during a flight, and what is expected from another traveler to do in order to help the flight crew put them under control. Using electronic devices: is it safe to use electronic devices on board, and could passengers use their cell phones, laptops or iPads during a flight, and what are the electronic devices allowed to be operated on a plane. Health condition of passenger: the necessity for travelers suffering chronic diseases to check their health before the flight to make it safer for them and the others. Passengers who have artificial joints or implants must always carry a letter from their doctor to make security checks quicker and safer. Carrying liquids, aerosols and gels: in this section the passenger knows what they are allowed to carry on board, and whether there are exceptions to carry medications or baby food, as well as regulations applied on duty free shops and on board shopping, and what should be observed in connecting flights. Joking with security personnel: this section clarifies the consequences of joking with airport security officers, what would happen if a passenger jokes: "why are you searching me do you think I have a bomb?" or "do you think I am a terrorist", what words should not be used at the airport or aboard an aircraft, and whether it is acceptable to joke with friends near security personnel. Cooperation with security: Explores the possibility of passengers cooperating with security officers, and what to do if they hear someone talking about a bomb, and will they get in trouble for reporting suspects. Carrying pets and live animals: this section highlights the possibility of taking a pet, such as a dog or a cat, on board, what should be taken into consideration when brining a pet, whether a snake, an insect or a reptile may be carried on board, what are the regulations followed for transporting live animals, and who is responsible for fulfilling all legal requirements to transport live animals aboard aircrafts. As part of its national safety program, GCAA supports its own safety management programs through effective monitoring, developing policies and making decisions, especially with the decision making process within the national safety program being based on comprehensive analysis of the national aviation system. Relevant regulations also depend on the risk definition and safety risk analysis and consequences. The program also entails distributing the safety management requirements among all aviation service providers, demanding them to prove their abilities to being proactive rather than reactive, while assessing abidance to safety standards, which enables the Authority and service providers to deal with safety risks more efficiently. http://www.ameinfo.com/274319.html Back to Top Study focuses on gulf helicopter crashes BALTIMORE, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Helicopters servicing drilling platforms and ships in the Gulf of Mexico crash on average six times per year, mostly from mechanical failure, a report says. The study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy found that from 1983 to 2009, 178 crashes resulted in 139 deaths, including 41 pilots and three co- pilots, an average of about five deaths annually, a release from the center said Monday. Of the total crashes, 68 of them, 38 percent, were blamed on mechanical failures, with bad weather the second most common cause and cited in 16 percent of the crashes. Crashes in bad weather were responsible for the largest number of deaths, with the National Transportation Safety Board blaming pilot error for many of them in that the pilot should not have proceeded given the forecast or observed bad weather. Many of the crashes resulted in the helicopters sinking, despite the fact that most helicopters are being equipped with pilot-activated flotation devices. "Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce crashes and deaths must address mechanical failure, non-activation of flotation devices, and pilot error," Johns Hopkins researchers Susan P. Baker said. "This study raises concern about the safety of helicopter flights related to oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly during bad weather." Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/09/12/Study-focuses-on-gulf- helicopter-crashes/UPI-37311315865021/#ixzz1XporpQgt Back to Top New tool can ensure better safety on planes Washington: Researchers have developed an instrument for fine tuning an airplane's digital flight-data recorder or "black box" so that it can pre-empt crashes and ensure greater safety for passengers. John Hansman, professor of aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), says that current methods of analyzing black box data might miss vital information bearing on flight safety. Accordingly, Mr Hansman, his colleagues at MIT and various researchers in Spain have devised the tool to spot glitches even before mishaps are triggered, according to an MIT statement. Mr Hansman's team took cluster analysis, a common statistical approach, and tailored it to black-box data, for more comprehensive understanding of an aircraft's operation. "The beauty of this is, you don't have to know ahead of time what 'normal' is," says Hansman, "because the method finds what's normal by looking at the cluster." The researchers tested the technique on flight data they obtained from an international airline that no longer operates. The dataset comprised 365 flights, all flown on Boeing 777s. The flights were undertaken over a period of one month, with various origins and destinations. After examining the data more carefully, the team found that one flight took off with significantly less power than most, indicating either an incorrect thrust setting by the crew or a potential power-systems issue. Another takeoff had erratic pitch behaviour, indicating that the pilot had difficulty rotating on takeoff. A third flight was identified as being low on approach, with a higher-than-normal flap setting, creating drag that forced the plane to apply more thrust than usual before landing. Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/new-tool-can-ensure-better-safety- on-planes-133316&cp Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC