Flight Safety Information September 20, 2011 - No. 194 In This Issue U.S. Air Force to Lift Flight Ban on Lockheed's F-22 Raptor Two Marines dead in Camp Pendleton helicopter crash ERAU waiting on air crash studies Alaska Airlines flight evacuated after bomb threat DGCA indicts Jet Airways for last year's passenger injuries: report news (INDIA) Corporate Jets Face $100-a-Flight Fee in Obama Deficit Plan U.S. Air Force to Lift Flight Ban on Lockheed's F-22 Raptor (Bloomberg) The U.S. Air Force will resume flights of Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)'s F-22 Raptor this week, which has been grounded for four months after pilots suffered symptoms related to oxygen deprivation. "We now have enough insight from recent studies and investigations that a return to flight is prudent and appropriate," said Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz in a written statement. "We're managing the risks with our air crews, and we're continuing to study the F-22's oxygen systems and collect data to improve its performance," he said. Returning to flight Sept. 21, pilots will use additional safety equipment and undergo physiological tests. The flight ban was imposed on May 3 as a safety precaution after 12 separate incidents in which pilots experienced "hypoxia-like symptoms" associated with lack of oxygen, according to a statement from Air Combat Command. Oxygen deprivation can lead to disorientation or blackouts. A continuing Air Force investigation found that, under certain conditions, Honeywell International Inc. (HON)'s On-Board Oxygen Generating System "does not deliver oxygen as designed to the pilot, which could result in hypoxia and decreased flight safety," the written notification said. Even so, it said the probe "failed to reveal a single, definitive root cause for the hypoxia-like symptoms." 'More Reliable' System Honeywell, based in Morris Township, New Jersey, said on its website that its oxygen system "is more reliable, safer and requires much less maintenance than a comparable stored-gas system." Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Alison Orne said the company was pleased with the Air Force decision."We are committed to supporting our customer in getting the world's premier air dominance fighter, and the men and women who fly them, safely back in the air," she said in an e-mailed statement. Honeywell spokesman Christopher Barker referred questions about the investigation of the oxygen system to the Air Force. The entire F-22 fleet will undergo "an extensive inspection of the life-support systems before returning to flight," the Air Combat Command statement said. The Air Force has fielded 170 F-22 jets as of May. The stealth plane first entered service in 2005. Back to Top Two Marines dead in Camp Pendleton helicopter crash Two Marines were killed in a helicopter crash during a training mission Monday at Camp Pendleton, officials said. The two were aboard an AH-1 Cobra that crashed about 1 p.m. in the northeast corner of the sprawling base near Fallbrook. No other injuries were reported. Camp Pendleton firefighters responded to a blaze at the crash scene. The helicopter was part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/two-marines-dead-in-helicopter-crash-at-camp- pendleton.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher Back to Top ERAU waiting on air crash studies Any safety lessons could help with local air show Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University DAYTONA BEACH -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University leaders will be watching the investigations of two air show-related accidents last weekend in Nevada and West Virginia as plans move ahead for its air show next year. Embry-Riddle's Wings and Waves Air Show, which took to the air last October after a seven-year absence, will return in the fall of 2012 as originally planned, college officials said Monday. The event is intended to be held every two years and university officials are watching what lessons may be learned from the accidents at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show in Reno and the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show in Martinsburg, W.Va. Veteran racer and stunt pilot Jimmy Leeward of Ocala and his modified P-51 Mustang airplane crashed into the grandstands Friday at the Reno Air Show killing Leeward and eight others and sending 54 to hospitals. A 10th person died Monday. It was the first time spectators had been killed since the races began 47 years ago in Reno. Twenty pilots, including Leeward, have died in that time, race officials said. In West Virginia, a pilot was killed when a post-World War II plane crashed Saturday during a demonstration at an air show. Tim Brady, Embry-Riddle's dean of the college of aviation, said the university is following the investigation to see "if there are any lessons there for the university in doing anything differently for its show. "It's always shattering when something like this occurs," Brady said. "But until you really know what caused things, it's hard to draw a lesson from it. Once we know, we'll make sure whatever was learned as a result of the terrible accidents is passed on to others so it is preventable the next time." Brady was clear to point out that the Reno accident involved an air race and the pilot was flying a heavily modified plane. "Safety is our mantra -- it's our living code at the university," he said. Spectators may look at air shows as dangerous, Brady said, but to the pilots who practice the events all the time, "they know exactly what they are doing and are professionals. I think these kinds of (accidents) are pretty rare." The pilots in the Nevada and West Virginia accidents were professionals, Brady said, noting that the issue may be one of equipment failure. Bob Ross, Embry-Riddle's associate director for media relations, said air races, as opposed to Embry-Riddle's air show, are more dangerous because people may be racing airplanes "as fast as they can between pylons and they are all racing together." "It's a completely different thing. It's not as safe as an air show is," Ross said. "We will adhere and always have to the highest standards of safety in our air show. Air shows are much safer and highly controlled than air races are." Brady also said steps are taken to ensure spectators are safe. "That is on top of everybody's list -- keeping the air show performance area away from anyone that can be harmed," Brady said. "The path of the air show is carefully planned so it doesn't get close to a crowd." Details have not yet been worked out regarding the exact dates of Embry-Riddle's air show next year. Embry-Riddle graduate Cheryl Stearns, a world competitive sky diver who was in last year's Embry-Riddle air show and parachutes at other air shows, said sometimes accidents just happen, but "it's not common." "It's just like skydiving. You can have an experienced person jumping and things happen. It's just one of those things," said Stearns, who is also a commercial airline captain with past experience flying in aerobatic competitions. Stearns, a 24-time U.S. Women's Parachuting Champion, who was in California Monday about to board a plane for a jump, said "everything is about safety," which is why pilots have to be diligent checking out aircrafts. But sometimes structural failures can happen, she said, which may have been the case in Nevada. The National Championship Air Races and Air Show posted a statement on their website that included: "We race and perform for our fans and, now, we grieve for them and their families." http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2011/09/20/erau-waiting-on-air-crash-studies.html Back to Top Alaska Airlines flight evacuated after bomb threat (Reuters) - An Alaska Airlines plane landed safely on Monday at Oakland International Airport after a bomb threat against the flight was found on a handwritten note in San Francisco, but no bomb was found, the airline said. Officials notified the airline of a bomb threat found on a piece of paper in San Francisco International Airport specifically referencing Alaska Airlines flight 342, airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said. The airline learned of the bomb threat while the flight, bound from Seattle to Oakland with 126 passengers and six crew on board, was in the air, Egan said. The aircraft was isolated on a taxiway after landing just before 8 a.m. local time and passengers were bused to the terminal, airport spokeswoman Joanne Holloway said. No bomb or explosive devices were found on board and any passengers who were questioned were released, the airline and local law enforcement said. Alaska Airlines said passengers were re-screened following the incident and the airline was performing an independent security sweep of the aircraft before returning it to service. Back to Top DGCA indicts Jet Airways for last year's passenger injuries: report news (INDIA) New Delhi: India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has faulted Jet Airway India's crew and training standards in a report, a year after two dozen passengers of that airline's flight were injured during an emergency evacuation, reports in the media suggest. Of the 25 passengers hurt, four were seriously injured as they jumped from the plane's wing, the regulator said in its indictment. Last year, on 27 August, Jet's cabin crew noticed what appeared to be an engine fire as its flight (9W302) was taxiing at Mumbai airport with 139 passengers onboard. It turned out to be a false alarm but a misreading of the situation by the cabin crew led to emergency evacuation procedures being ordered and resulted in injuries to passengers. ''In the process of evacuation, 25 passengers were injured and four of them were seriously injured with multiple fractures on the legs. There was neither smoke nor actual fire in the incident,'' the DGCA said in its investigation report, released Monday. The regulator said the crew did not have a ''basic awareness of the external lights, especially the anti-collision lights of the aircraft.'' ''During cabin crew SEP (safety and emergency procedure) training, crew were trained for emergency evacuation for fire depending on external situational assessment. However, they were not trained to recognize fire from the engine.'' http://www.domain-b.com/aero/gov_reg/20110920_passenger_injuries.html Back to Top Corporate Jets Face $100-a-Flight Fee in Obama Deficit Plan Alan Levin Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama's administration proposed a $100 per-flight fee on corporate jets and other turbine-powered planes that use the U.S. air-traffic system. The fee would raise an estimated $11 billion over 10 years, according to the president's recommendations to the 12-member congressional committee charged with finding ways to trim the deficit. The fee is aimed at private aircraft, which currently don't pay their fair share of costs of operating the aviation system, the administration said today. About two-thirds of the air-traffic system is paid for by aviation excise taxes, including levies on airline tickets and on fuel. Last year these taxes raised $10.8 billion, according to the Department of Transportation. There is a disparity between what airlines and their passengers pay into the system and what users of private aircraft pay, the plan said. An airline flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco would generate $1,300 to $2,000 in taxes, depending on the number of passengers and what they paid for tickets. A private jet, which requires almost the same services from air-traffic controllers, would pay about $60 in fuel taxes, the plan said. "General aviation users currently pay a fuel tax, but this revenue does not cover their fair-share use of air traffic services," the plan said. Opposition Mounts A coalition of nine U.S. associations representing users and manufacturers of corporate and private aircraft issued a joint statement "expressing our unified opposition" to the proposal. "Mr. President, many foreign countries have imposed per flight charges on general aviation and the results have been devastating," the e-mail statement said. "Please do not go down the dangerous path and cost jobs in our community." General-aviation pilots pay their fair share of fuel taxes and a new fee would create "a costly new federal collection bureaucracy," the groups said. The groups that issued the letter include the Washington- based General Aviation Manufacturers Association, whose members include General Dynamics Corp.'s Gulfstream and Textron Inc.'s Cessna; the Washington-based National Business Aviation Association, with members including PepsiCo Inc. and Humana Inc., the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, based in Frederick, Maryland, which has more than 400,000 individual members; and the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. NetJets Reacts Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s NetJets, the largest U.S. firm selling fractional shares of corporate jets, issued a statement from Chairman and Chief Executive Jordan Hansell agreeing with the trade groups. NetJets, based in Columbus, Ohio, has more than 7,000 customers worldwide. A similar proposal introduced by President George W. Bush's administration was defeated in Congress after opposition by the same groups. That plan, which was introduced in 2007, was supported by the airline industry, which argued that corporate aircraft owners should pay a greater share. This time, the Air Transport Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group representing airlines including Delta Air Lines Inc., has joined the opposition. "We oppose any new taxes on airlines or their passengers," ATA President Nicholas Calio said in a statement. The Obama plan is aimed at pilots who fly under the supervision of air-traffic controllers. Nearly all small private, piston-powered planes wouldn't have to pay the fee, the proposal said. It would also exempt aircraft operated by the military or other government agencies, air ambulances and any flight that doesn't require air-traffic guidance. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/19/bloomberg_articlesLRSGHT6TTDS3.DTL#ixzz1YUMzmSD8 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC