Flight Safety Information September 16, 2011 - No. 192 In This Issue ISASI 2011 - Lederer Award FAA fines regional airline for safety violations Proposed pilot duty changes draw ire from US carriers Government study determines FAA should place higher focus on pilot commuting Russian regulators start grounding carriers Aviation Safety Cultural, Not Technological Safety versus Corporate Culture in airlines (Australia) Lasers causing havoc for pilots in record numbers Why New Pilot Fatigue Rules Took a Rest Stop at OMB GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference Your Assistance is Required in Reducing the Helicopter Accident Rate INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS "Air Safety Through Investigation" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Richard Stone, 801-299-1561 DATE Sept. 16, 2009 Paul-Louis Arslanian Earns Top ISASI Aviation Award The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) has named Paul-Louis Arslanian recipient of its Jerome F. Lederer Aviation Award for 2011. The award is given for outstanding lifetime contributions to technical excellence in furthering aviation accident investigation and achieving Society objectives. ISASI is an organization dedicated to enhancing aviation safety through the continuing development and improvement of investigation techniques. To this end, its membership is made up of persons who are actively engaged in the investigation of aircraft accidents or in prevention activities that identify, eliminate, or control aviation hazards before accidents result. Born in 1944, Paul-Louis (Paul) Arslanian was the Head of the BEA, the French Aviation Safety Investigation Authority, from 1990 to October 2009. Having reached the French civil service retirement age, he retired in Oct 2009, however, remaining with BEA in a limited capacity. Paul-Louis Arslanian is a graduate from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and the Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile in Toulouse. Upon graduation, he joined the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC), for which he worked for 17years. During this period, he gained experience in aviation matters by acting as attaché to the Minister of Transports and by holding various positions at the departments of Air Transportation and Civil Aeronautical Programmes. In the latter, as Deputy Director, he was in particularly instrumental in the structuring in France of the activities in the fields of research and avionics related to civil aircraft development. In 1980, he was entrusted with the environmental issues at DGAC, thus getting acquainted with international relationships and ICAO. In October 1986, he joined the BEA, a small team of 15 persons at that time. Under his leadership, the BEA developed rapidly, both in manpower and investigation tools; and its reputation of competence, total independence and dedication to aviation safety grew dramatically, positioning it today as one of the most renowned safety investigation authorities. Safety and accident investigation experience Since 1986, Paul-Louis Arslanian has taken part in more than 10,000 investigations in France, including its overseas territories, with a direct or managerial participation. Also, through France's role as State of Manufacture for the Airbus, ATR and Falcon aeroplanes and Eurocopter helicopters, as well as State of the Operator for French airlines, he gained wide experience in accident investigation abroad. Through his worldwide involvement into a number of investigations of air transport disasters, he has developed a unique expertise into the management of such situations, including the setting up of resources, the handling of the various types of needed communication, including the drafting and issuance of safety recommendations, and, last but not least, the management of crisis situations. He has been, and still is, deeply involved into the development of international solidarity when addressing safety matters, into the permanent taking into account of the suffering and concerns of the victims and their families, and into a better working understanding between the safety community and the judicial authorities. Main international involvements. Paul-Louis Arslanian obtained experience and reputation in international matters as a leading member of the European and ICAO committees on aviation noise, from 1980 to 1990. Since 1991, he has been the chairman of the Accident Investigation Committee (ACC) of the European Civil Aviation Conference. In this capacity, he actively contributed to the development of cooperation on safety matters within Europe and with other regions of the world. He took an important part into the organization of a structured network of safety investigation authorities and into the drafting, at ICAO and at the European level, of regulatory texts for the effective and independent investigation of accidents and incidents. During all these years, he promoted systematically and with conviction international friendship and the central role of ICAO for establishing true aviation safety and organizing fair international relationships in this field. In 1992, he was elected chairman of the ICAO AIG/92 Divisional meeting, during which he contributed to the international recognition of the importance of the investigation of incidents. In 2001, during ICAO 33rd Assembly, he was elected chairman of the Technical Committee, a confirmation that his reputation goes beyond the investigation community. During his close to 30 years in aviation safety investigations, Paul-Louis Arslanian has been a strong supporter of ISASI activities, as BEA Corporate Member, and as participant, speaker and keynote speaker at many ISASI Annual Seminars, as recently as 2009 in Orlando, FL. Mr. Paul-Louis Arslanian is a most deserving recipient of the ISASI Jerry Lederer Award. www.isasi.org Back to Top FAA fines regional airline for safety violations WASHINGTON Federal aviation regulators are proposing to fine a regional airline $1.9 million for allegedly allowing flight attendants to work a total of 172 flights after being warned the attendants weren't trained to use the planes' fire extinguisher system. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Colgan Air of Manassas, Va., allowed 84 newly hired flight attendants to work flights on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400, a twin turbo-prop plane, for a week in November 2009 after being told by FAA inspectors that the flight attendants hadn't completed the required training. The FAA said the flight attendants were trained with fire extinguishers from another type of plane which operate differently. Colgan's pilot training and safety regime was strongly criticized after a February 2009 air crash near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PP2Q8G1.htm Back to Top Proposed pilot duty changes draw ire from US carriers US carriers united under the Air Transport Association of America believe FAA's proposed changes to pilot flight and duty time carry a $2 billion price tag and could result in a significant job loss. The agency released its proposed rulemaking roughly a year ago that shrinks maximum flight duty time for pilots, and also increases the consecutive hours free from duty every week by 25%. Citing an economic analysis of the proposed rule conducted by consultancy Oliver Wyman, ATA stated 12,000 to 27,000 direct US airline jobs could be eliminated, and up to 400,000 related industry positions. "The rule will drive job loss because airlines will be forced to reduce service and cut jobs in order to absorb the new costs the rule imposes," said ATA. ATA warns that the estimated $2 billion in increased annual costs for carriers to comply with the rule would not be passed to customers, resulting in route cuts and the elimination of jobs. In a recent report examining how the US Federal Aviation Administration handles fatigue the Department of Transportation's Inspector General warned the proposed rule "faces significant opposition from the aviation industry". Citing historical opposition from the aviation industry regarding revamping duty and rest rules, "it will be difficult for FAA to implement a final rule on new flight, duty and rest regulations", said IG. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Government study determines FAA should place higher focus on pilot commuting A new study released by the Department of Transportation's Inspector General (IG) concludes that the US Federal Aviation Administration needs to directly address potential adverse effects of pilot commuting. The IG conducted its audit of FAA's efforts to combat pilot fatigue and oversight of duty time regulations from August 2009 through July 2011. In its analysis the IG stated that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited pilot performance or fatigue as a cause or contributing factor in four of the last six fatal accidents involving regional carriers. Pilot fatigue drew heightened scrutiny after the February 2009 crash of a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 after it was discovered both pilots commuted hundreds of miles to the Newark domicile. FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in September 2010 to significantly alter pilot flight duty and rest regulations, but IG stressed that despite potential effects of commuting on fatigue, FAA opted not to include a commuting mandate in the regulation. One recommendation from the IG to FAA is to collect and analyse data regarding commuting distances and methods of transportation. But while agreeing in part FAA stressed research conducted by the National Academy of Science showed no correlation between pilot commuting and safety. "Since commuting may be the result of a change to an air carrier's business model, such as closing a domicile or furloughing pilots, or due to a crewmember's personal choice, any data collection represents only a snapshot of the industry," said FAA. FAA also only partially agreed with an IG recommendation to analyse data domicile and commuting data collected to determine if changes are necessary or if airlines need to alter their fatigue management systems. The agency largely believes that fatigue risk management plans being developed by carriers addresses that recommendation. "The FRMP provides carriers with the ability to determine whether they need to address the commuting practices of its pilots," FAA told IG. The IG asked FAA to reconsider its position on both commuting recommendations, citing interviews conducted with 33 captains and first officers at five air carriers. Roughly 26, or 79%, said they had experienced fatigue while on duty. Nearly 73% of those pilots were commuters at some point in their career, said IG. While FAA has taken "commendable" steps to change outdated duty time regulations, IG stressed the agency "should also collect and analyse additional information on pilot domicile and commuting so it can better target solutions to reduce fatigue within the airline industry". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Russian regulators start grounding carriers Russian regulators are set to ground several airlines as part of an effort to secure higher operational standards in the nation's air transport industry. Alexander Neradko, chief of supervisory agency Rosaviatsia, has revealed that it has prepared directives on revoking licenses from three operators. He declined to identify them, but said: "All three have already ceased selling tickets and passengers have been notified that they have terminated services and ceded their route rights to other carriers." Rosaviatsia has decided to annul the air operator certificates due to the difficult financial situation of the carriers in question and not because of safety concerns, said Neradko. He added: "Today, there are about 30 airlines that are in a risky zone and stand to lose their licenses. Some of them are controlled by the same financial groups. We've prepared proposals for their owners to consider consolidating those operations." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Aviation Safety Cultural, Not Technological By Roland Oliphant A series of disasters in domestic aviation is the result of systemic shortcomings in the industry, and cutting the number of airlines will make no difference to safety without a fundamental cultural shift in the way business is done, a retired pilot has said. "If fewer airlines meant safer skies, the world would be a much simpler place than it is," Oleg Smirnov, chairman of the Federal Transport Agency's commission on civil aviation, said in reference to government plans to slash some of Russia's hundred-plus airlines. Smirnov was speaking after the national air regulator withdrew operating licenses from three airlines and said that it was considering action against 30 more. Federal Aviation Agency chief Alexander Neradkov refused to name the airlines concerned Wednesday, but said they had failed to live up to both safety and financial requirements. Vedomosti, citing a source in the Transportation Ministry, later identified the unfortunate three as Ilin, the Ulyanovsk Higher Aviation School and Jetalliance Vostok, a subsidiary of Aeroflot and Austrian business-jet operator Jet Alliance. President Dmitry Medvedev vowed Sunday to cut the number of airlines in the country, about 130 currently, in response to the Yaroslavl air disaster on Sept. 7 that killed 44 people, including most of Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv hockey team. It was the country's eighth deadly crash this year and brought total aviation fatalities this year to 119 - more than in any other country in the world. Most of this year's air disasters can be attributed to small airlines or charter companies running fleets of three to six often aging planes on short regional routes. "At this point, it's obvious that it is not a question of coincidence. This is a systemic problem," said Smirnov, a retired pilot. "But the government shouldn't be reducing the number of airlines but changing the rules that allow you to set one up. The number of airlines is a matter for the market," he said. "There are thousands - literally thousands - of airlines in the United States. And they fly more passengers per year than anyone," Smirnov said. The United States suffered only 20 aviation fatalities in 2010, according to the Aviation Safety Database. Russia suffered 110 fatalities in the same year, the bulk of which were accounted for by the Polish Tupolev-154 that crashed in foggy conditions near Smolensk in April. While declining to comment on the situation in Russia, one U.S. aviation professional concurred that "technology does not equal safety." "The U.S. is lagging in air traffic control - we're using 1950s equipment and ground- based radar that means we have to fly these circuitous, occasionally inefficient routes - but it is safe," said Charles Duncan, United Airlines vice president for transatlantic, Middle East and India sales, in an interview with The Moscow Times. The real problem is a misguided, laissez-faire policy of registration and approval that allows "almost anyone" to set up an airline extremely easily, Smirnov said. He also blamed a culture that promotes profits over professionalism and a blurred hierarchy of responsibility that allows companies to pressure pilots not to abort flights. "We need a clear 'road map' of responsibilities that will give pilots the authority to say 'guys, I've seen the situation, we're not flying,'" he said. Industry analysts say consolidation of the market is already underway, and the government's moves will only speed the process. But there is a fine line to be walked between safety and keeping the country open for business. All eight fatal accidents in Russia this year have involved aging Antonov, Tupolev and Yak models, prompting a push to renew the national fleet. But new Russian aircraft like the Sukhoi Superjet 100 are not being produced in large enough numbers to replace retired aircraft, and they are too big to be flown economically on routes currently serviced by the Yak-42, said one aviation analyst who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Nor are there any modern aircraft that are light or tough enough to replace the An-24, which is used to land on unpaved airstrips in remote regions of the Far North and East. An An-24 crashed in June, killing seven. But getting rid of them, or the airlines that fly them, could isolate hundreds of communities without rail or road links, Smirnov warned. Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/aviation-safety-cultural- not-technological/443849.html#ixzz1Y7Zf5RTi The Moscow Times Back to Top Safety versus Corporate Culture in airlines (Australia) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has called for comments on a proposed new confidential safety concerns reporting scheme or REPCON as it currently known, in the air transport, rail and maritime industries. It is probably the most important and difficult set of changes ever proposed to the public administration of safety in these industries in this country, and the ATSB website has an unofficial draft of the regulations, and a discussion paper with examples of how REPCON works, and an explanatory letter. The timetable is for this first round of responses and comments to be made by 16 December, followed by a revised draft of the proposals, then another round of consultations, and then legislative approval bringing the final form of a new REPCON into law in 2013. Supposedly confidential safety reporting procedures in this country, and abroad, have seen some of the whistle blowers side lined, demoted or sacked, and part of the problem is that in a wide range of circumstances, management would have no difficulty identifying the person reporting a particular concern because of the specifics. This is part of the challenge of crafting a better REPCON process. There is in the real world, a serious risk to a career involved in defying a corporate culture that takes dangerous or unsound risks, particularly in airlines in which the management either despises the technical skills of the pilots and maintenance engineers, or sees them as too costly. Lets keep in mind that in Jetstar in 2007, not only did the airline change the binding approved flight manual procedures so that they no longer required pilots in a go-around situation to first ensure that the engines were set to go around power, but it kept no paperwork, and conducted no safety management analysis of the changes, and which were changes that nearly lead to a crash in July of that year at Melbourne airport. In its current reports and inquiries, the ATSB has produced evidence that AirServices Australia is entrusting incompetent or inadequately trained controllers to keep airliners apart in Australian skies, in circumstances were safety outcomes would almost certainly be better served by watertight confidential reporting of roster and training abuses by management. The manifest risks to public safety that had arisen in Jetstar and which are identified in AirServices Australia today could have been better minimised by laws that encourage and protect more insider information being safely provided to the safety authorities. The issue of an improved REPCON process is in direct opposition to the notion in many corporations that what happens in the company stays in the company, and that the unauthorised disclosure of any information about operations is a dismissible offence. These days, emails, and electronically circulated memos and operational documents can all be traced or given unique digital fingerprints that will identify who received any particular copy of a presentation. Company phones can be checked for incoming calls from numbers matching those of reporters, regulators or competitors. The task of securing anonymity is so technically daunting that it may be necessary to recognise that absolute confidentiality is an impossibility, and that the law may need to revert to severe penalties for those individuals and companies that persecute safety informants. There is a huge amount of work to be done to give Australia the safety dividends of more timely and detailed information from the work place, unfiltered by managements. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/09/16/safety-versus-corporate-culture-in- airlines/ Back to Top Lasers causing havoc for pilots in record numbers There's a laser light show taking place in the skies over America. It's cheap. It's easy. But most of all, authorities say, it's dangerous. That's because those laser beams are being aimed at planes and helicopters in record numbers. In fact, so far this year lasers have been aimed at aircraft an average of nine times a night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It has grown to be such a problem that in June, the FAA imposed a civil penalty of $11,000 for pointing a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft. "These [lasers] are not toys," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. "They certainly are not being used for what they were intended for. That's why we are taking such an aggressive stance." Though inexpensive laser pointers have been available for years, some now coming on the market are particularly worrisome, said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. One company earlier this year released a laser capable of nearly instant close-range retinal damage for less than $300, Peters said. Now, the same company has a hand-held laser that it claims has a range of 85 miles. The laser, which sells for $1,000, is the "world's brightest laser you can legally own," according to the company. Another record year? The FAA predicts laser aircraft incidents in 2011 will top last year's record of 2,776 by 35 percent. One of the most recent incidents resulted in the arrest of a 20-year-oldDeltona man accused of aiming a laser at a Seminole County sheriff's helicopter. Through Sept. 2, there have been 2,250 reported laser incidents involving aircraft, including 184 in Florida and 20 in the Orlando area. There have been 35 pilots and passengers complaining of temporary problems such as flash blindness, blurry vision, eye irritation and headaches, the FAA said. There have been no reports of serious eye damage such as a permanent blind spot. In 2010, there were 162 laser incidents involving aircraft in the state, including 21 in theOrlando area. Larry Dale, a pilot and president ofOrlando Sanford International Airport, said he is not sure how many of the laser incidents are malicious. For the most part, he thinks it is just people playing with lasers and "just flashing up there and seeing if they can hit an airplane." Whatever the reason, he said, "it's a dangerous practice." Though lasers can temporarily blind pilots, one of the most dangerous aspects is the sudden surprise of a green or red laser beam entering the cockpit, said Steve Farris, chief pilot for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. Those are the colors of wing lights on planes, he said. "It can give you the sensation that you are about to have a midair collision," Farris said. That can force the pilot to take unnecessary evasion action and perhaps result in a crash, he said. According to the FAA, more than 93 percent of reported incidents involve green lasers. Red is second, at just 2 percent. In the incident involving the Seminole County sheriff's helicopter, Christopher Marden was arrested Sept. 4 by Volusia County deputy sheriffs near DeBary. He faces a charge of pointing a laser light at a pilot. A citizen volunteer had reported seeing lasers in the area of the Seminole-Volusia line along U.S. Highway 17-92, and the helicopter was investigating when hit by the laser coming from Wayside Park. Two other men were questioned, but only Marden was arrested. Some federal charges Though local authorities usually make arrests in laser incidents, some of those arrested end up prosecuted on federal charges. Frank Newton Anderson ofOrlando was sentenced to one year's probation and fined $4,000 in July on a federal charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft. Anderson, 43, pleaded guilty to aiming a green laser at an Orange County sheriff's helicopter in April 2010. According to court documents, the pilot and a flight observer lost temporary sight of the helicopter's instrument panel and the horizon. When the helicopter was hit with a laser beam a second time, they directed ground units to Newton's location. A laser pointer was found about 100 yards from where he was apprehended. In June, 59-year-old Mark Clay Hazlitt of Lakeland was sentenced to five years' probation on the same federal charge. He pleaded guilty to pointing a laser at a Polk County sheriff's helicopter in November. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, he pointed a green laser at the helicopter at least four times, causing a flight officer's night-vision goggles to shut down and causing disorientation inside the cockpit. Hazlitt told authorities he was tired of hearing the helicopter. Though both men were charged with interfering with the operation of an aircraft, proposed legislation would make it a federal crime to point a laser at any pilots or drivers. In Florida, it's a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to shine a laser at an aircraft, vehicle or boat, Farris said. The crime escalates to a second-degree felony, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, if the incident results in an injury, he said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-lasers-aircraft-increasing- 20110913,0,2468581.story?page=2 Back to Top Why New Pilot Fatigue Rules Took a Rest Stop at OMB. By Andy Pasztor (WSJ) For more than two years, FAA chief Randy Babbitt has said one of his top safety priorities is tough new rules to combat pilot fatigue. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, left, and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, in front of an air traffic control tower being built near the Oakland (Calif.) Airport, Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)Then why did his boss, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, rely on a bureaucratic loophole earlier this year that effectively gave airlines extra time to battle such changes? Mr. LaHood has publicly championed new rules to update decades-old limits for how long pilots can sit behind the controls or remain on duty during any 24-hour period. Earlier this year, however, Mr. LaHood sent the FAA's proposal over to the White House Office of Management and Budget without signing it, according to airline executives, pilot-union leaders and federal officials. Under an arcane bureaucratic provision, that meant the package hadn't been "officially transmitted," so the regulatory clock for OMB's review didn't start ticking. Supporters of Mr. LaHood say the bureaucratic feint was intended to quietly give the FAA and DOT more time and political maneuvering room to persuade skeptical OMB officials that the proposal's anticipated safety benefits outweigh its substantial projected costs. But some pilots and other critics of Mr. LaHood disagree. They say that for months, White House regulatory officials already had been tussling with pilot-fatigue issues and fielding carriers' complaints that the proposed changes would be too expensive. The critics say Mr. LaHood's strategy ended up backfiring because industry foes gained additional time to rev up opposition. FAA and DOT spokeswomen have declined to comment. Toward the end of July, leaders of industry groups representing charter operators, cargo airlines and passenger carriers made personal presentations to OMB officials, objecting to the proposal on cost grounds. Pentagon officials weighed in with similar concerns, arguing that troop transportation could be hurt. The original Aug. 1 deadline for an FAA announcement passed without a green light from the White House. By mid-August, Mr. LaHood had transmitted an official, signed copy of the proposed rule changes to OMB. Within days, FAA Administrator Babbitt told a pilot-union conference "the rule is now in its final stages." At the end of the month, he told an international safety forum: "we are working aggressively to get this rule out as soon as possible." Since then, Obama administration officials have projected the new standards are likely to become final before the end of the year. Still, the fight goes on. After meeting with OMB officials earlier this week to urge speedy action, family members of air-crash victims alleged that airlines marshaled "an army of six-figure lobbyists" to influence the pilot-fatigue rule and "twist arms over at the White House." The group, representing passengers who died in a 2009 turboprop crash near Buffalo, N.Y., complained that OMB wants to weaken the FAA's proposals. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Hello, My name is Cliff Johnson and I am working towards fulfilling my requirements for a Masters of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. One of my degree requirements is the completion of a Graduate Capstone Project that deals with the relevance of Crew Resource Management in the 21st Century. This survey is a research tool that will be used to gather data for my research topic. Responses to the survey are submitted electronically to a database that does not identify the user's information, so answers will be completely confidential. Findings will be released only as analyzed data or summaries in which no individual's answers can be identified. If you have flown in the jet air passenger transport industry, you are eligible to take the survey, and your responses are valid and important. There are 10 short questions. This will takes less than 2 minutes to complete. Please click the hyperlink below to access the survey. Thank you in advance. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7R9FBDG Back to Top AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference Held At The Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum Pier 86, W 46th St and 12th Ave New York, NY 10036-4103 Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities: Early bird registration closes December 31 2011 Click here to register Student, Government and Military registration discounts Click here Sponsorship opportunities Click here Investigating the Causes, Resolving the Claims CLE ACCREDITATIONS APPLIED FOR. AViCON is set to return to New York April 25 of 2012. This highly successful case study format is gathering reputation and recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. "I found the material presented very interesting and realistic, the location very appropriate, the speakers very engaging and professional, andthe entire experience very much worth my time. I look forward to seeing you at another AViCON and /or industry event." -- Lorenzo Berenguer, VP Global Claims Management, XL Services Switzerland AG AViCON will be of interest to anyone involved in aviation insurance - underwriters, claims managers, lawyers, risk managers, insurance brokers, airline flight safety directors, airline board members with flight safety responsibility, claims investigators, and aircraft product manufacturers. Taking just one day, the 2012 conference is based on a reconstruction of a fictional air disaster when a passenger aircraft crashes off the runway in bad weather. Causation is far from clear, and a number of parties may have contributed to the accident. The conference will show how such a disaster may be investigated and managed; it then goes on to illustrate the complex legal issues involved and the strategies that may be employed in settling the claims. Previous AViCON events have attracted well respected speakers and delegates from the legal profession and insurance market. Speakers have included aviation professionals, law partners, and associates from: Alimonti Law Offices Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Blank Rome Bryan Cave Clyde & Co. Condon Forsyth Cozen O'Connor Cranfield University DLA Piper Gates & Partners Ince & Co Kenyon International Emergency Services Podhurst Orseck Xchanging AViCON 2012 will follow the same configuration, whereby the speakers and delegates move along the timeline of an accident investigation, to legal discovery, multi-party litigation, and resolution. Previous AViCON events have addressed scenarios for a new entrant airline, and buying a new technology airframe that suffers a survivable failure to an engine. This year's scenario revolves around a failure that subsequently results in multiple fatalities due to a range of issues, including: * Organizational Failures * Crew Competence * Possible Bogus Parts * Defective Warning Systems All are set within an environment that includes many possible choices of forum and law. The 2012 accident scenario will be presented with state-of-the-art animation prepared by RTI's Magic Motion Studios, and will highlight a fresh set of complex issues of current concern and debate within the aviation market. This event presents a unique opportunity for all those concerned with safety in aviation to gain a fuller understanding of the entire range of complexities involved in an aviation accident, in a concise and effective format. After viewing the state-of-the-art animation, experts in disaster management and accident investigation will lead the audience through the technical aspects of crisis management and the process and protocols of a formal investigation. The circumstances shown in the video lead to potential liability for a number of parties, including the airline, the aircraft manufacturer, and the maintenance contractor. A group of leading lawyers will debate the issues that arise, including: forum selection, punitive damages, fee considerations, evaluating claims, negligent entrustment, discovery, spoliation, dispute resolution, quantum of damages, and relationship with insurers. If you or your firm has an interest in becoming an event sponsor, please visit our Sponsorship page for more information. For more information about RTI: www.rtiforensics.com For more information about AViCON 2012: www.rtiavicon.com Your Assistance is Required in Reducing the Helicopter Accident Rate For more than 20 years, civilian helicopter accidents have remained at a consistently high and unacceptable level around the world. A global effort led by the International Helicopter Safety Team, launched in 2005, has been focused on finding ways to drive accident rates lower. The goal is to reduce worldwide helicopter accident rates 80 percent by 2016. A key challenge in achieving that goal lies in addressing the human factors in helicopter safety and fostering a culture in which individual members of the international helicopter community (both organizations and people) take personal responsibility for preventing accidents and enhancing safety. The 5th International Helicopter Safety Symposium (IHSS 2011) will review the international helicopter community's progress toward that goal and discuss how individual helicopter operators, pilots and mechanics can apply the lessons derived from its work to their daily activities. At this symposium, helicopter operators will have the opportunity to: · Help refine the global roadmap for enhancing helicopter safety and reducing accidents, particularly as it relates to the needs of individual owners, pilots and mechanics and smaller helicopter operators · Review the role that decision-making and other human factors consistently play in contributing to helicopter accidents · Learn what specific safety actions make business sense for their operations and how to implement those actions · Broaden their awareness of best safety practices and new safety technologies (including warning devices, Health and Usage Monitoring Systems and Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring) · Familiarize themselves with the tool kits and training aids available from IHST to improve day- to-day safety CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING EVENT INFORMATION! * Preliminary Symposium Agenda * Previous IHHS Participants * Register online to attend IHSS 2011 * Flyer with paper registration * Exhibit at IHSS 2011 * Exhibitor Application * Make a hotel reservation for IHSS 2011 * Receive a discount on American Airlines airfare LINK: http://www.ihst.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2914&language=en-US Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC