Flight Safety Information September 23, 2011 - No. 196 In This Issue Air Force returns 170 grounded F-22s to service Reno crash likely a turning point for air races Air crash investigators head to Yellowknife FAA proposes $2.4M fine against Cessna Man arrested after 3 guns found in bag at airport IATA Safety Report 2010 (Issued April 2011) Passenger jailed for drunken rant on BA flight Delta flight lands at JFK after bird strike EASA proposes new instrument flying ratings Boeing didn't keep records, NTSB says Aviation Human Factors Research Announcement Graduate Research Survey Air Force returns 170 grounded F-22s to service The nation's F-22 fighter jets went back into service Wednesday, four months after they were grounded over pilot complaints about a lack of oxygen. Air Force instructor pilots began flying the stealth jet fighters at six bases across the U.S. This followed a stand-down order, issued in May, and imposed over hypoxia issues reported by at least 12 pilots in the past three years. Hypoxia is when the body does not receive enough oxygen. "It's Day One on a road to get our F-22s back in the air and back to their full operational capability," said Lt. Col. Derek France, 3rd Operational Group commander at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Forty of the 170 F-22 Raptors are stationed at the Anchorage base. In the past four months and even before, the aircraft's oxygen related systems have been the focus of an ongoing safety investigation, France said. "While they never pinpointed, or have yet to pinpoint, an exact cause of these incidents, they got to a point where they felt that we could, based on risk mitigation, training of air crews and inspection of the aircraft itself, get to a point where we can safely fly again," he said. "And so that's the decision, we passed a safety line where senior Air Force officials said that we can go ahead and train again." He couldn't provide additional information about what led to the decision. "I can't go into the real details," France said after the first four Raptors raced down the runway and took off on a training run over Alaska. "They did a thorough investigation of some of the life support systems in there and some minor modifications within the cockpit to ensure the safety of the pilot," he said. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced the end of the stand-down order in a statement issued earlier this week. "We now have enough insight from recent studies and investigations that a return to flight is prudent and appropriate. We're managing the risks with our aircrews, and we're continuing to study the F-22's oxygen systems and collect data to improve its performance," he said in the statement. Each $143 million plane was thoroughly inspected before being allowed to fly and will be subject to daily inspections. Pilots will also undergo physiological testing. The first pilots to fly are instructors, who will then train other pilots once they shake off four months of inactivity. France said no pilots have expressed concern to him about flying the F-22s, since the investigation has yet to determine the cause for the hypoxia-like symptoms. "I think they are all fired up and ready to fly," he said. France expects it to take a few months before crews are back to pre-stand-down functionality. The Lockheed Martin Corp. F-22 Raptor was introduced in 2005, and the Air Force said it has flown more than 300 homeland security missions but none in combat. The fleet is stationed at five other bases besides Alaska: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PTI6LO0.htm Back to Top Reno crash likely a turning point for air races Every year for nearly half a century, they gathered in the desert to push the limits of aerial technology. But one week after a highly modified P-51 Mustang fighter plane nose-dived into box seats at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show north of Reno, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more, the future of the popular event - and air racing itself - is in danger. "Me, personally, I would say air shows should stop," said Mike Danko, an aviation attorney in San Mateo. "The loss of life isn't worth the benefit. The payoff just isn't there. It doesn't promote aviation. It harms aviation." Even if air racing survives - and most believe it will - it will likely change to protect pilots and spectators better. "This is a major turning point," said Jeremy Kinney, curator for air racing at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. "The Reno folks are going to have to think about what (they) can do to improve safety, because these planes are getting consistently faster and they are getting older." Preliminary findings from a National Transportation Safety Board crash investigation are expected today. But many in the aviation community say photographs taken before impact show a key piece of the plane's tail section - the trim tab - had broken off, which they say caused the plane to veer out of control and plunge into the tarmac. But did custom modifications to make the plane fly faster contribute to the failure? Were spectators seated too close? Did the event organizer do enough to protect pilots and fans? How did a yearly celebration of speed, innovation and derring-do turn so deadly so fast? Eventually, such questions will be answered by federal investigators and an expected flurry of litigation. For now, though, most people are still sifting through layers of shock, grief and disbelief. "I couldn't believe my eyes," said Ron Snow, a pilot and retired salesman from Elk Grove who saw the crash from about 300 yards away. "I was terrified, horrified, mortified. I've never seen anything like that - don't ever want to see anything like that again." As the plane struck the ground, it exploded into a gigantic grenade-like ball of shrapnel, tearing randomly and savagely through human flesh. "It was like a bomb," said Rich Meyr, a retired pilot from Reno who has attended the races for 35 years. "It was enough to shake the ground." Seven people - including the pilot - died at the scene. Four others succumbed later at area hospitals. In all, about 70 people were treated for injuries and more than a dozen remain hospitalized. "It was crushing," said Snow, who burst into tears after speaking with a Sacramento radio station after the event. "There was nothing you could do." Air hot rods The Reno air race each year draws visitors from around the globe with a dazzling display of airplanes streaking across the desert, competing for $1.1 million in prize money. "Reno is the top of the line," said Snow. "In aviation, it is the tip of the sword. ... There is nothing like this in the world." The theme of this year's race - No Limits - captured the spirit of ingenuity and experimentation many associate with the sport. "Air racing is the ultimate expression of our mechanical ability in which you take a technology and hot rod it and go fast," said Kinney. "It's that seeking of conquering Mother Nature by going fast - and surviving - that's a very distinctive trait, especially for us in the United States," Kinney said. But of course, some do not survive. The annals of racing are filled with pilots who have perished while pursing their passion. At the Reno race, 20 have died over the past 47 years, including three in 2007. But until last Friday, no spectators had been harmed. The only other known non-pilot fatalities at an air race in the United States occurred in 1949 in Cleveland when a modified P-51 Mustang plowed into a home, killing a mother and her child. After that, air racing stopped - until Nevada rancher Bill Stead resurrected the sport at a small airport north of Reno in 1964. What's next? What happens now is anyone's guess. In Reno, where the race generates $80 million in revenue a year, most hope the event remains air-borne. "I want to keep it, but I want the safety to be there," said Reno Mayor Bob Cashell. But others say the danger is too great. "I stopped going to air shows some years ago because they were killing the performers," said Danko. "The entertainment is not worth it." Last week's tragedy occurred in the fastest and riskiest style of competition, known as unlimited, in which planes more than half a century old are modified to make at them fly at speeds exceeding their design limits. "Are you going to have members of the public be right up against these aircraft when they are being pushed to their design limits and beyond?" said Danko. "Unfortunately, it's a bad idea." In a YouTube video, the plane's pilot, Jimmy Leeward, said his crew cut five feet off the wings and shortened the ailerons - the back edge of the main wings used to control balance. The goal, he said, was to make the plane fly faster without a bigger engine. But at high speeds, such changes can be deadly. Photographs show the tail section's trim tab had torn off, which experts say would have likely caused the plane to veer upward with such force that the pilot probably blacked out. An eerily similar incident with a P-51 and a broken trim tab played out at the Reno air races in 1998. The pilot lost consciousness, recovered and miraculously survived. "People say this was a freak accident," said Danko. "No, it was not a freak accident. When you see that it actually happened in the past, it's something to be expected and guarded against." Mike Draper, a spokesman for the Reno Air Racing Association - which puts on the race - said the organization's focus is now on coping with the disaster's human toll, on grieving and healing. "We know there are a lot of people hurting," Draper said. "Right now, our focus has been on trying to figure out ways that we might be able to help ease some of that pain and comfort some of those folks. At some point in the near future, we'll sit down and discuss all sorts of things, including how this event proceeds and if it proceeds." Others, though, said the racing association has taken steps to improve safety, including setting up a pilot racing school and inspecting - and sometimes grounding - planes for safety problems. Danko said such efforts go only so far. "Yes, they are very safety conscious," he said. "But what are they trying to check? It's like trying to check dynamite to see if it's safe." Most, though, hope the event endures and is made safer in the process. "There's always something to go wrong," said Snow, who has attended the Reno races since 1969. "... As in every form of competition, you learn from the mistakes and the errors. "This will get straightened out," he added. "It is very special. The crowds are going to be back." http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/23/3932120/reno-crash-likely-a-turning-point.html Back to Top Air crash investigators head to Yellowknife Twin Otter wreckage wedged between two buildings Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board are on their way to Yellowknife to investigate after a plane crash that left two people dead and seven injured. Two pilots were killed when their Twin Otter float plane crashed Thursday in an empty lot between two buildings on a Yellowknife street. The seven passengers were sent to hospital. The Northwest Territories coroner's office knows the identities of the deceased, but their names will not be released until all next of kin have been notified. No one on street level was seriously hurt, but bystanders were struck with debris after the float plane, owned by Arctic Sunwest Charters, clipped a building and some power lines before hitting the ground. The investigation is expected to take several days, and the plane will stay where it is until investigators say it can be moved. "I can't believe that it missed both buildings," said Jill Groenewegan, a Yellowknife resident whose window looks out onto the crash site. "It's crazy how close it is to both sides, and yet it managed to sort of squeeze between the two buildings." Elias Saravanja saw the plane go down and later watched as fuel spilled out of the plane. "The gasoline was running like water," he said. RCMP officer David Elliott said Thursday that the Environment Department had been on hand to deal with the leaking fuel. He said the department used absorbent mats to help clean it up. Groenewegan said she was shocked to learn of another plane crash so soon after last month's deadly crash in Resolute Bay. RCMP Const. Kathy Law said the plane was coming in for a landing on Great Slave Lake when it crashed. The RCMP said it will be up to the Transportation Safety Board to decide when the wreckage will be hauled out of the area. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/23/yellowknife-plane-crash- investigation.html Back to Top FAA proposes $2.4M fine against Cessna WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it wants to fine the Cessna Aircraft Co. $2.4 million because the company's failure to follow quality- control procedures caused a 7-foot section of the wing of high-performance plane to detach during a test flight, among other problems. One of the agency's pilots was conducting a test flight of the four-seat, single-engine Corvalis last December when a portion of the wing skin made from composite materials unbonded from the forward spar and damaged a fuel tank, the FAA said in a statement. A spar is a beam-like structure inside the wing and is a principal load-bearing component. The pilot made an emergency landing at an airport in Independence, Kan. An investigation found that excessive humidity at a Cessna manufacturing plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, prevented the bonded materials used to make the wing from curing properly, FAA said. Thirteen of the planes were ordered grounded. Cessna failed to follow its quality-control system when it manufactured the wings on the damaged airplane, as well as 82 additional parts, in the Chihuahua factory, the agency said. The manufacturer has since made improvements to the plant, FAA said. "Quality control is a critical part of the aircraft manufacturing process and has to detect problems before planes leave the factory," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. "Manufacturers have to ensure that all the details are followed all of the time." Officials for Cessna, of Wichita, Kan., didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine. Back to Top Man arrested after 3 guns found in bag at airport ORLANDO (AP) - Authorities say a central Florida man tried to bring three guns through a security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport. Orlando police say 68-year-old Thomas N. Colasacco of Winter Park was arrested Wednesday after a security officer saw three handguns in a duffel bag as it passed through an X-ray machine. The Orlando Sentinel reported Friday that Colasacco told officers he was in a hurry to get the airport and grabbed the wrong bag. Police reports say his duffel bag contained .25- caliber and a .40-caliber semiautomatics and a .357-caliber revolver. The newspaper reports a loose, loaded magazine was also inside the bag. According to jail records, Colasacco was released from the Orange County Jail on a $2,500 bond. Back to Top IATA Safety Report 2010 (Issued April 2011) The IATA Safety Report is unique. It is the result of a collective effort between IATA's safety experts, member airlines and aeronautical industry stakeholders. Its objective is to uncover safety concerns and develop prevention strategies to ensure the ongoing enhancement of safety. Content Highlights: * Runway excursions * Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) * Loss of control in-flight and tail strikes. * Cabin Safety (new) * Analysis of events such as passenger evacuations, decompressions and in-flight fires. This 47th Edition of the Safety Report, issued in April 2011, contains in-depth analysis of the year 2010 accidents as well as graphs, charts and posters that can be used for training and awareness raising campaigns by airlines and regulators. Along with IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the Six-point Safety Program, the Safety Report is another tool to help airlines implement and operate a Safety Management System. The Safety Report 2010 comes with an interactive CD-ROM, containing useful Safety Management tools, including management briefings, Threat and Error Management (TEM) framework, IOSA and ISAGO standards and checklists as well as various analyses conducted by IATA on issues such as ground damage reduction and handling on board medical emergencies. Link: http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/pages/safety_report.aspx Back to Top Timothy Bradley jailed for drunken rant on BA flight (BBC) A US businessman who drunkenly abused staff on a British Airways flight to London has been jailed for three months. Timothy Bradley, 32, a mortgage consultant, of Phoenix, Arizona, had pleaded guilty to common assault and being drunk on an aircraft. The incident took place on 20 August on a Phoenix to London flight. Isleworth Crown Court heard Bradley swore at staff and was abusive after he was refused more alcohol. The businessman had been drinking beers and bourbon cocktails with friends before boarding the flight and had continued to drink once aboard. 'Fear and distress' Early on in the flight he began chatting up a female crew member, Charlotte Howell, who was replaced by her male colleague Stuart Williams, after she felt uneasy. The businessman told Ms Howell "I love you" after she served him champagne, but he denied telling her she was "sexy". When Mr Williams replaced her and refused to serve him drinks, he swore at him. The court heard that Bradley, who had also refused to turn down the music on his laptop, was aggressive towards John Manson, the head of cabin crew, when he was brought in to calm the passenger. The court heard Mr Manson feared being attacked when Bradley aggressively confronted him and was so close that his spit landed on Mr Manson's clothes. Bradley told him: "Do you think I'm going to stab the pilot?". 'Thoroughly abusive' The businessman was also handed a written warning about his conduct, which he threw away, and crew on the flight had restraints ready for him, the court heard. He was arrested soon after the Boeing 747 landed at Heathrow Airport. Sentencing Bradley, Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson said: "You were thoroughly abusive, threatening, making foul remarks to a number of people and [Mr John Manson, the head of cabin crew] quite plainly thought that he was about to be attacked. "This happened on an aircraft in a confined space and caused, I've no doubt, fear and distress to others who of course could not escape from you." The court was told Bradley was "totally and utterly ashamed" about his behaviour which was "out of character" for him. He has been in custody for 32 days and will now serve another two months in jail. Back to Top Delta flight lands at JFK after bird strike An airplane flying from New York to Boston was diverted on Thursday after hitting a bird. The passengers on the flight did land safely at Boston on Thursday afternoon, NBC affiliate WHDH-TV reports. One passenger on the flight said she instantly saw her life flash before her eyes - as a frequent flier, the passenger knew almost instantly that there was something wrong. "We were taking off and it felt a little strange. It felt like the plane was going much faster than normal and then all of the sudden there was a really large thump," said Alice Ting. "[I thought maybe] they're just lifting the wheels, but then there was a strange smell." Ting said the flight, which only had about two dozen passengers, diverted to JFK airport. Passengers then made their way on other flights back to Boston. "I was fearful. I was hoping to land and I think it was just the pilot's calm demeanor that made it seem better. The flight attendants seemed OK, so I thought, you know what, if something else was happening I'd rather just not know about it," said Ting. Ting said when the pilot came on to tell passengers that they had suffered a bird strike, she did remember the miracle on the Hudson and she is just happy that no one was injured. http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/22/7904771-delta-flight-lands-at- jfk-after-bird-strike Back to Top EASA proposes new instrument flying ratings The European Aviation Safety Agency has just published a proposed rule creating a simpler instrument rating (IR) aimed at encouraging private pilots to win the qualification, and a new full IR entailing less theoretical knowledge but the same flying test. EASA says that by reducing the costs for obtaining an IR, it expects more European pilots to acquire such a rating and so the skill base will be widened, bringing safety and economic advantages. "A high, uniform level of safety is ensured by requiring the applicants to pass exactly the same skill test as established already for the IR in Part FCL." The all-new proposed qualification is called the "en-route instrument rating" (EIR). This would be "an extension of the training and the privileges of the PPL or the CPL", says EASA, referring to a visual flight rules (VFR)-rated CPL holder. The EIR will confer the privilege to conduct flights under instrument flight rules (IFR) and in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the en-route phase of flight. Put simply, the EIR pilot must not only take off in VMC, but must also ensure that the approach and landing will be done under VFR. EASA says the training "will focus on the skills to fly an aeroplane under IFR and in IMC in the en-route phase, but will also include some emergency approaches and landing exercises, as well as flights in controlled airspace under IFR with a high density of traffic". The training course will consist of "at least 15 hours of flight time by reference to instruments", it adds. At least 10 hours of the required instrument flight instruction time would have to be completed in an approved training organisation. A third new rating will allow glider pilots to fly in cloud in suitable airspace. The impetus for the new ratings has come from the existence of the IMC rating in the UK, and a cloud flying rating for sailplane pilots in several European states, plus EASA's wish to widen the pilot skill base. A common form of general aviation fatal accident has always been pilots continuing a flight into unexpectedly deteriorating weather when they do not have the skills for IMC flight. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/09/23/362454/easa-proposes-new- instrument-flying-ratings.html Back to Top Boeing didn't keep records, NTSB says Boeing didn't keep manufacturing records that may have allowed investigators to determine why the fuselage on an American Airlines 757-200 jetliner tore in flight last year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. That lack of records has also hampered the NTSB's efforts to pinpoint the cause of a larger tear that forced the crew of a Southwest Airlines 737-300 to make an emergency landing April 1, according to two government officials familiar with the investigation. They asked not to be identified as the probe is ongoing. "Records of manufacture for the skin panels on the accident airplane and the other airplanes with fuselage skin cracking were not retained, and were not required to be retained," the NTSB, which investigates U.S. transportation accidents and recommends safety improvements, wrote in a report on the American incident, dated Sept. 19, on its website. "Therefore, a cause for the manufacturing non-conformance could not be identified." The American jet's skin was too thin, which led to cracks, the NTSB found. Without records detailing how the plane was built and inspected, the safety board wrote, it could not determine the source of the defect. In the Southwest incident, a 5-foot section of the jet tore open at 34,000 feet, triggering an explosive decompression and injuring one flight attendant. The plane made an emergency landing in Yuma, Ariz. The accident has been tied to rivets not being secured properly when the jet was built in 1996, according to the NTSB and Boeing airplanes chief James Albaugh. Records of how those rivets were installed and inspected don't exist, the officials told Bloomberg. Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/09/22/1834598/boeing-didnt-keep- records-ntsb.html#ixzz1Ymo1b0Uu Back to Top Aviation Human Factors Research Announcement A research study titled "A Descriptive Instrumental Collective Case Study of the Cognitive Processes Employed by Pilots- in-command During Extended, Extreme, In-flight Emergencies" is currently being conducted. The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of the cognitive processes (among them risk assessment, problem solving, and decision making) pilots who have experienced these extreme emergencies have used, and how they have used them, in successfully overcoming the emergency. From this, further research will be conducted with the ultimate intent of defining training methodologies to provide more pilots with these skills. The researcher is in the process of recruiting pilots who have experienced in-flight emergencies that meet the study criteria to participate in this research. The Research Criteria To better understand these participant criteria, the following definitions are provided: "Professional Pilots-in-command" is defined as commercial pilots and corporate pilots who hold a United States FAA Commercial or ATP license exercising the rights and responsibilities of a PIC, and those United States military service pilots acting as the PIC of a military aircraft, whose primary professional training and job duties at the time of the emergency involved the airborne conduct of flight operations. "Extended" is defined as those emergencies of a duration that require the employment of predominantly considered, comparative, and reasoned cognitive processes as opposed to predominantly reactive processes. "Extreme" is defined as those emergencies of such a nature and/or complexity that manufacturer's certified individual emergency procedures are either inadequate or invalid and the emergency is one for which the previously developed flight plan cannot be continued. "In-Flight" is defined as those emergencies occurring during the airborne departure, cruise, and/or approach phases of normal flight operations. "Emergencies" is defined as flight operations requiring deviation from both the predetermined flight plan and the manufacturer's normal operating procedures. "Successfully overcame the emergency" is defined to mean that the aircraft was ultimately returned to the ground by the PIC under either complete or partial control, and the loss of life was less than total. What Does Participation in this Research Study Involve? Participation in this study will involve undergoing a single interview with the researcher about the in-flight emergency in which the participant was involved. What to do Next If you have experienced an in-flight emergency that you believe meets the study criteria and you would like to participate in the study, or if you are interested in participating in the study but have questions about it, please contact the researcher using the contact information provided below. If you know of another pilot who has experienced an in-flight emergency that may meet the study criteria, please pass this information along to that person so he or she can consider participating in this study. Research Protocols and Anonymity * This study adheres to all of the applicable research requirements set forth in the universally accepted research protocols of The Belmont Report, The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, The United States Code of Federal Regulations Title 45 Part 46, the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and the Capella University Institutional Review Board. * The anonymity of research participants will be strictly and completely maintained, with the researcher alone being the only person ever to know the actual names of the research participants. The in-flight emergencies that are indirectly the subject of this research will be described only in general terms so no one will be able to associate them with the actual specific occurrence. About the Researcher Clint Balog has been an aviation professional for over 33 years with experience as a flight test engineer, engineering test pilot, corporate pilot, and senior leader. He is now a professor of aeronautical sciences with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a doctoral candidate in psychology with a specialization in aviation human factors at Capella University. Contac Information Telephone: 602.502.6934 Email: clintbalog@cs.com Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Air Traffic Controllers opinions sought to assess the effectiveness of ATSAP Bill Hooper is a graduate student working towards fulfilling requirements for a Masters of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. One of the degree requirements is the completion of a Graduate Capstone Project including a research project. Hooper has elected to research air traffic controller's perceptions of the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP). This survey is a research tool that will be used to gather data for the 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 are an air traffic controller or are eligible to submit reports into ATSAP 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. Bill Hooper wishes to thank you in advance. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5RZDSCL Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC