Flight Safety Information October 18, 2011 - No. 214 In This Issue British pilot, 7 tourists from France, Sweden, UK die in recent Botswana plane crash Qantas pilots 'too distracted' to put down landing gear Porter Airlines...cited over air safety issue NASA names 3 new flight directors Qantas to Ground More Aircraft Aviation ministry proposes new structure for DGCA (India) UAE GCAA hosts delegation from Yemeni Civil Aviation Authority Air France Fires Its Chief Executive Much Love for Virgin America, Much Hate for American Airlines British pilot, 7 tourists from France, Sweden, UK die in recent Botswana plane crash GABORONE, Botswana (AP) - A light aircraft carrying 12 people crashed after takeoff and burst into flames in Botswana, killing the British pilot and seven tourists from France, Sweden and Britain, an official said Monday. The cause is under investigation, Nkwe said. His agency had issued a brief statement announcing the crash on Friday, with few details. It was unclear why it took three days to announce the fatalities. Britain and France confirmed they had citizens aboard the flight, but Sweden said it was still investigating the reports. The chartered Cessna 208, operated by local company Moremi Air, crashed shortly after takeoff from Xakanaka airfield in northern Botswana and was ablaze soon after. The plane had been headed for a luxury safari camp on Pom Pom island, a site in the heart of the delta that is famous for its birds and wildlife, including elephants. Moremi Air CEO Sue Smart said in a statement Monday that the company has grounded its entire fleet while investigations proceed. She said the pilot was the company's general manager and "our most seasoned pilot with over 12,000 hours of flying." The seven tourists who perished were a British man, three French women, two Swedish women and a Swedish man, Nkwe said. At least some of the survivors were airlifted for medical care to Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa. Botswana's Monitor newspaper quoted one local survivor, vehicle inspector Bernard Lottering, as saying that after the aircraft crashed to the ground he kicked out a window and got out. As the plane caught fire, he managed to pull out his colleague and dragged two other passengers to safety, apparently the French. The paper said it interviewed Lottering on his hospital bed in Botswana. The paper also quoted Dr. Maxwell Mungisi, superintendent of Letsholathebe Hospital in Maun, the biggest town in the delta, as saying that the bodies of those who died were "burnt beyond recognition" and that only DNA tests could identify them. The paper also reported that rescuers had difficulty reaching the scene because of the rough terrain. France's Foreign Ministry said one French survivor remains hospitalized in Johannesburg with burns, though doctors say her life is not in danger. It said the other French survivor has returned home. Britain's Foreign Office confirmed that two British nationals died in the crash. It said that next of kin have been informed and provided with consular assistance, but declined to give further details. In Sweden, however, the Foreign Ministry said it has not yet been able to confirm the reports. ___ Online: Botswana Civil Aviation Authority, http://www.caab.co.bw/ Moremi Air, http://www.moremiair.com ********* Status: Preliminary Date: 14 OCT 2011 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Moremi Air Registration: A2-AKD C/n / msn: 208B-0582 First flight: 1996 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 11 Total: Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 12 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Xakanaka Airstrip (Botswana) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Xakanaka Airstrip (), Botswana Destination airport: Pom Pom Camp Airstrip, Botswana Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was destroyed when it crashed near Xaxanaka, Botswana. The pilot and seven passengers were killed. Four passengers are said to have survived the accident. The airplane crashed immediately after takeoff from Xakanaka Airstrip on a flight to Pom Pom Camp Airstrip in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Qantas pilots 'too distracted' to put down landing gear Two Qantas pilots failed to extend a landing gear because of "several interruptions and distractions" during an aborted landing at Sydney Airport, an investigation has found. A number of factors resulted in a "breakdown in the pilots' situational awareness" during the incident above Sydney on the morning of October 26, 2009, involving Qantas Airways Boeing 767-300 VH-OGP, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report found. As a result of the incident, Qantas has introduced new systems so it can monitor the selection of the aircraft's landing gear during the approach to an airport. The report said the distractions included Air Traffic Control requesting the pilot to call Sydney Tower minutes before the landing, and unexpected rain showers near the runway as the aircraft approached. "Both pilots reported then focussing their attention on the aircraft that was landing immediately ahead (of them), and then, shortly after, on a possible conflict with an aircraft that was cleared to depart from runway 16R, both of which created concern with respect to a late landing clearance," the report stated. The ATSB said the Qantas pilots aborted the landing as the aircraft was approaching 500 ft altitude when they realised it was incorrectly configured and they heard an aural warning. The investigation identified a number of minor safety issues in the operator's procedures and monitoring systems and Qantas Airways has advised of safety action in response. "In response to this occurrence, Qantas advised that, in November 2010, soft and hard triggers were introduced into its Flight Operational Quality Assurance system in order to monitor the selection of the landing gear during an approach," the report stated. Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/qantas-pilots-forgot-to-pull-down-landing-gear-in-aborted- landing/story-e6frfq80-1226169785615#ixzz1b9Gf6SG4 Back to Top Porter Airlines cited over air safety issue Airline mum after federal stats show it faced grounding Porter's suspension notice was rescinded after the airline tabled corrective action. No details were given about the date or infraction. Porter Airlines Inc. is one of a handful of air carriers - and the only large commercial airline - that has faced the threat of being grounded for failing to comply with Transport Canada's air safety rules, government statistics show. But the company won't say what the issue was that led Transport Canada to issue the warning. Transport Canada is also being mum, raising questions about how much the flying public is entitled to know about an airline's record. Since 2005, when Transport Canada implemented a new inspection system in civil aviation called Safety Management Systems (SMS), the department has issued 11 notices of suspension to aircraft maintenance companies or commercial airlines. The rarely used enforcement tool usually gives companies 30 days to comply with Canada's aviation regulations or have their Air Operating Certificate suspended until the operation makes changes to bring it into compliance. Five of the 11 companies specialize in aircraft maintenance and three companies operate chartered flights, according to SMS data tabled in the House of Commons by Transport Minister Denis Lebel at the request of Liberal MP Denis Coderre. Three passenger airlines - Porter, First Nations Transportation and Buffalo Airways Ltd. - also were issued notices of suspension, the statistics show. Transport Canada went on to suspend the air operation certification of First Nations Transportation. Porter, Buffalo Airways and the other companies tabled corrective action plans that were accepted by Transport Canada, so the suspension notices were rescinded before the grounding date came into effect. Both Porter and Transport Canada declined to release any other details. Porter's spokesman Brad Cicero said the government's inspection system is confidential and non-punitive to encourage companies and employees to report all safety-related matters. This involves an "ongoing dialogue" with Transport Canada that includes the regular submission of correction action plans to "promote positive changes," he said. The oversight system requires airlines to develop and oversee an in-house system of safety checks tailored to their operations. Transport Canada inspectors then review the company's SMS records to determine if the plan to reduce aviation hazards is effective in complying with regulations. Daniel Slunder, head of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association representing aviation inspectors at Transport Canada, said it's difficult to assess the Porter case without any details, but noted an immediate safety threat or a "real serious issue" results in an immediate notice of suspension. The enforcement tool used in the Porter case provided the company 30 days to respond. "It's not a frequently used tool and it's usually done to force somebody to do something that they've been reluctant to do over a period of time," said Slunder, explaining it could be "as simple as incomplete documentation and the company has taken much too long to address" the issue. Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Porter+cited+over+safety+issue/5564613/story.html#ixzz1b9KUgh5y Back to Top NASA names 3 new flight directors New flight directors Greg Whitney, Tomas Gonzalez-Torres and Judd Frieling. (NASA) NASA has selected three new flight directors to manage International Space Station operations. Judd Frieling, Tomas Gonzalez-Torres and Greg Whitney will join a select group of human spaceflight leaders in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA's flight directors lead a team of flight controllers, support personnel and engineering experts from around the world. They also are involved in cargo and crew vehicle integration with the station and developing plans for future exploration missions. "As we move into a new era of spaceflight, these flight directors will help us transition the knowledge and experience from the existing human spaceflight programs into the next period of exploration and space station operations," said John McCullough, chief of the Flight Director Office at Johnson. "This includes development of new technologies and techniques for spaceflight and development and execution of our future missions in the years to come." After the new flight directors have completed their training and certification, NASA will have 25 active flight directors supporting the space station, exploration, commercial spaceflights and new technology demonstration initiatives. Prior to the selection of Frieling, Gonzalez-Torres and Whitney, only 80 people had served as NASA flight directors in the almost 50 years of human spaceflight. Judd Frieling was born in Austin, but considers Pflugerville his hometown. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1996. He began a diverse flight control career in 1997 as an Onboard Data Interfaces and Network (ODIN) officer, serving as lead for the STS-97 station assembly mission, and worked to resolve multiple computer failures during the STS-100 mission. He was instrumental in developing new operations processes and procedures, allowing the Mission Control Center to operate with significantly smaller staffs during quiet periods aboard the station. In 2004, Frieling transitioned to space shuttle flight control as a Data Processing Systems (DPS) officer, where he supported 20 shuttle flights. He served as lead DPS officer for STS-118 and STS-130. Tomas Gonzalez-Torres was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University in 1998. A veteran spacewalk flight controller, Gonzalez-Torres has been the group lead for the Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Systems Group for the past three years, and recently has been acting chief of the EVA Operations Branch. He joined NASA in 1994 and worked as a spacewalk task and systems instructor. Gonzalez-Torres became an EVA officer in 2005, working 17 shuttle flights, including lead for the STS-121 assembly mission that featured tests of shuttle heat shield inspection and repair techniques. He served as the lead spacewalk officer for the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, STS-125, and four space station expedition spacewalks. Greg Whitney was born in Albany, N.Y., but considers Rye, N.H., his hometown. He earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 2002. He joined NASA in 2002 and supported space station activities as an Operations Planner. Whitney also supported space shuttle missions as a Flight Activities Officer (FAO), developing plans to optimize crew operations. This resume includes 14 space station expeditions and 12 space shuttle missions, and he served as the lead FAO for the last shuttle flight, STS-135, earlier this year. He also spent time as an acting group lead for spaceflight planning activities. - NASA news release Back to Top Qantas to Ground More Aircraft Asia Today: The mechanics union at Qantas will hold off strikes until the end of the month, but with 400 flights cancelled in the next four weeks, there are still problems ahead. Isabella Steger, Alison Tudor and Jeffrey Ng discuss. CANBERRA-Qantas Airways Ltd. plans to ground more aircraft in response to concerted strikes by staff, the latest development in what is expected to be a protracted industrial dispute between the airline's management and union representatives. From Monday, Qantas said it will ground two wide-body Boeing 767 aircraft due to a backlog of maintenance which the airline blamed on striking members of the Australian Licensed Engineers Association. Removing the two planes will result in 20,000 seats of capacity being cut on domestic flights, Qantas said. The airline has now grounded seven aircraft and removed about 88,000 seats from sale over the next month due to the strike-accounting for about 4% of the airline's domestic flying capacity-and warned it could ground more, including aircraft on international routes. "If this overtime ban continues, we will be grounding even more aircraft. This is not a safety concern as problems are addressed before planes fly. But it is causing ongoing and unplanned disruption to our customers," said Alan Joyce, Qantas' chief executive, in a statement. Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said the airline is meeting baggage handlers Tuesday and engineers later this week. A meeting with pilots is scheduled for next week. Qantas shares fell in Sydney, down 5.2% to 1.46 Australian dollars, after earlier hitting an eight-day low of A$1.44 after the company detailed the impact on its business of recent industrial action by the Engineers Union. It estimates the total cost of the engineers union claim at A$165 million and says it plans to cancel a further 80 domestic flights over the next month. However, after the stock price hit a record low of A$1.35 last month, the shares are already pricing in such dire outcomes. On the charts, the March 2009 low at A$1.38 is potentially major support and there's potential for a bullish inverse head & shoulders pattern to form with a right shoulder near A$1.42, according to Dow Jones Newswires technical analysis. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204346104576637941538903566.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Back to Top Aviation ministry proposes new structure for DGCA (India) The DGCA that has been embroiled in controversies over the past few years is being made redundant as per the Aviation Ministry's new proposal Having learnt a lesson from the tragic Mangalore air crash last year, which killed 150 people, and the more recent fake pilot scam, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is proposing new measures to tackle the inefficiency in the functioning of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). A proposal to strengthen the existing structure of Indian civil aviation industry by transforming the DGCA into an independent civil aviation authority is on the anvil. In such a scenario, the proposed civil aviation authority relieving the DGCA of the same will handle the administration and regulation of civil aviation safety. Several other announcements were made at the international aviation conference being held yesterday. Prominent among them were suggestions to set up a National Aviation University and an Ombudsman for customer grievances. "The existing structure of DGCA will be transformed into a Civil Aviation Authority. There will also be an independent investigation agency that will investigate all accidents. Also, based on an international survey we have decided to compose an advanced aviation security force for better security at airports and appoint an Ombudsman to handle complaints," said Nasim Zaidi, Secretary of Civil aviation. However, he also informed that services of CISF would continue. However, no deadline was mentioned for the implementation of the proposals. To which Minister of Civil Aviation, Vayalar Ravi, replied, "You know how the government functions," the minister said with a grin. The minister, however, agreed that there are issues related to the functioning of DGCA and the recent fake pilot scam raised serious questions on the functioning of DGCA. "With the proposed new look, the civil aviation authority can increase its manpower by hiring new people. An announcement related to National Aviation University was also made. The proposal of starting a National Aviation University is in its final stage, and we'll soon announce the place and structure," said the minister. However, the setting up of an ombudsman is pending with the ministry since February and no decision has been taken. http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/oct/181011-Aviation-ministry-proposes-new-structure-for-DGCA.htm Back to Top UAE GCAA hosts delegation from Yemeni Civil Aviation Authority United Arab Emirates: In its continuous efforts to improve aviation safety and contribute to the application of safety regulations among other states of the region, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) hosted last week a delegation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Yemen, represented by engineer Ali Mohammad Alfrawi, Director General of Licensing and Aircraft maintenance. Alfrawi was received by Mr. Ismaeil Al Balooshi, Executive Director for Aviation Safety Affairs at GCAA, and Captain Khalid Humaid Al Ali, Acting Director of Licensing, and a number of GCAA employees. The visit comes in line with the GCAA efforts to enhance aviation safety through sharing its experience, with other countries in the region, in applying the latest licensing and aircraft maintenance engineering regulations. Among these regulations is the new "part 66", already in effect in UAE. Yemen and other neighbor countries intend applying in the months ahead. The program organized by GCAA for the Yemeni delegation included meetings with specialists in aircraft maintenance engineering and field visits to the GCAA locations to better demonstrate the application of the new regulation in question "Based on the spirit of mutual cooperation between the civil aviation authorities of the two sister countries, and to create a safe aviation environment in compliance with national and international norms, our visit to the GCAA aims at gaining technical knowledge, especially in relation to the application of aviation safety aircraft maintenance engineering," said Mr. Ali Mohamed Al Frawi, Director General of Licensing and Aircraft Maintenance of Yemeni Civil Aviation Authority, during his visit. "UAE General Civil Aviation Authority is among the first regionally to comply with "part 66" that deals with aircraft maintenance and which the Yemeni Civil Aviation Authority intends to apply in Yemen in the coming months," he added Captain Khalid Humaid Al Ali, Acting Director of Licensing, emphasized on the GCAA's utmost care to comply with International safety regulations. "The application of part 66, which regulates licensing of aircraft maintenance engineers, will enhance aviation safety and make the United Arab Emirates, represented by the GCAA, among the top countries in the region to employ the highest safety standards." http://www.ameinfo.com/278481.html Back to Top Air France Fires Its Chief Executive PARIS - Barely four months after appointing him to a new four-year term, the board of Air France-KLM voted Monday to dismiss its group chief executive, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, who had grown deeply unpopular with investors as he struggled to cope with high operating costs and increasing scrutiny of the carrier's safety culture since a crash killed more than 200 people two years ago. Mr. Gourgeon, 65, held the chief executive posts of the combined group and of its Air France unit. Alexandre de Juniac, 48, an adviser to the French finance minister, François Baroin, is expected to take the helm of Air France sometime next month, the company said. The appointment of Mr. Juniac, a civil servant who also has worked in the aeronautics industry, is subject to approval by a government ethics committee. Air France-KLM said its chairman, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, would assume chief executive duties at the parent company until the creation of the new holding company structure. Mr. Spinetta ran Air France for a decade until 2009, with Mr. Gourgeon as his deputy. Leo Van Wijk, the chief executive of KLM, will become the group's deputy chief executive. Philippe Calavia will remain as chief financial officer, the company said. Analysts said the surprise could well signal a major reorganization and a shift in strategy by the airline, which is Europe's largest by revenue. "This is a major shock - nothing like this has ever been seen at this company," said Yan Derocles, an airline industry analyst at Oddo Securities in Paris. "I expect it will be accompanied by significant structural measures." The move came after Mr. Gourgeon was re-appointed in July to a new four-year mandate as head of the group holding company, part of a management reorganization that would have seen him give up his dual role at Air France in January. Mr. Gourgeon had personally advocated for Mr. Juniac, who has no previous experience in the airline industry, to succeed him at the French unit. French media reports said Mr. Gourgeon was informed Friday of the decision to replace him, with some reports suggesting that the move was at the instigation of Mr. Spinetta, his one-time mentor, because of his frustration with the company's financial performance. Neither Mr. Gourgeon nor Mr. Spinetta could be reached to comment on the accounts. Mr. Gourgeon, who trained as a fighter pilot, presided over a troubled two years that included the crash of an Airbus A330 over the mid-Atlantic in June 2009 that killed all 228 people on board. Both Air France and Airbus face accusations of involuntary manslaughter in the case, which is still under investigation. An interim report by French accident investigators indicated that the pilots of the plane had not received training that could have helped them avert disaster. The airline's management, which last year ordered a top- down audit of its safety procedures, has rejected criticism of its pilot training program and has asserted instead that a "misleading" pattern of cockpit alarms on the Airbus jet contributed to the crew's difficulties. The airline also has struggled more than many of its peers to recover from the economic crisis that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers in late 2008. For the three months through June it swung to a net loss of €197 million, or about $270 million, from a €736 million profit a year earlier - a result the airline attributed to rising fuel prices and a drop in traffic linked to unrest in the Middle East and the nuclear crisis in Japan. The group has forecast a modest operating profit for 2011, though that is much weaker than the roughly €1 billion that analysts predict for Lufthansa this year and the €600 million for International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia of Spain. Analysts said its weak performance made the group particularly vulnerable if the global economy should slip back into a recession. Nonetheless, during a briefing with journalists in September, Mr. Gourgeon said he believed Air France-KLM had emerged from the "violent" 2009 downturn in a healthier position. "The industry is in a better position today, after we took measures" to reduce costs, he said at the time. Yet Air France-KLM still has some of the highest operating costs in the industry, spending about a third on staff expenses alone. That compares with about a quarter of total operating costs at Lufthansa, British Airways and Iberia. Air France-KLM had already been preparing a major restructuring program aimed at cutting operating costs by up to €800 million. Mr. Gourgeon presented the outlines of that plan in September, which included a hiring freeze as a first step with an eye to reducing the group's headcount of 87,000 employees by 2 percent a year through attrition. But with a slowdown in passenger and cargo traffic showing signs of worsening, analysts said new management would probably seek cuts of €1 billion or more, which would probably lead to a showdown with the airline's prickly labor unions. The C.F.D.T., one of the largest French unions, hinted late Monday that the airline could face industrial action if it sought substantial new staff cuts. "We need a coherent economic, employment and corporate plan very quickly," Gilles Nicoli, secretary general of the Air France section of the C.F.D.T., told Reuters. "We don't want this reorganization to be an excuse for delay." Mr. Derocles of Oddo said management could seek to eliminate as many as 10,000 additional jobs and would probably reduce or eliminate some routes. In September, Air France-KLM said it was cutting the frequency of its flights to Newark International and John F. Kennedy airports outside New York City for the winter season, which begins this month, and reducing capacity on several routes, particularly to North Africa. Analysts said the new management could also study the possible sale and outsourcing of activities such as maintenance or catering. The French government owns nearly 16 percent of Air France-KLM, a stake worth about €272 million at current prices, and controls 3 of the 15 seats on the company's board. Despite its financial straits, Air France-KLM proceeded last month with a deal to buy as many as 110 Airbus and Boeing long-range jets as part of a plan to renew its fleet. Those deals contain a far greater number of purchase options versus outright orders than had been originally envisioned. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/business/global/air-france-klm-board-to-meet-amid-reports-of-ouster-of- chief.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1318953680-VgATVLbdeFSJhRzToHLwQw Back to Top Much Love for Virgin America, Much Hate for American Airlines New Report Finds More Hate Than Love for US Airlines on Social Media NEW YORK, NY, Oct 18, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Social media users were more negative than positive about US airlines on social media in the last 12 months, with intense hatred for a handful of carriers accounting for most of the negativity, according to a new social media analytics report from Amplicate. The report found that 57% of all opinions on social media about US airlines were negative over the last 12 months, with American Airlines (AMR), United Airlines (UAUA) and US Airways (LCC) incurring most of the hatred. American Airlines was the most hated airline over the last 12 months ( http://bit.ly/nSxNZi ), with only 12% of opinions expressing love for the world's fourth largest airline. Social media users were most negative about airlines in June 2011 when Delta Air Line's (DAL) decision to charge returning soldiers for extra baggage caused a firestorm of controversy on social media. But not all airlines caused social media users such consternation. Social media users expressed overwhelming affection for Virgin America Airlines, which was the most loved US airline on social media over the 12 months, with 97% of opinions enthusiastically embracing the low cost airline. Social media users were especially enthusiastic about Virgin America's onboard WiFi, which allowed them to tweet their feelings for the airline from 20,000 feet. Amplicate's new report 'Public Opinion on US Airlines on Social Media' ( http://bit.ly/rrSFRg ) reveals that, although there were more negative than positive opinions posted about US airlines on social media in the last 12 months, the positive opinions were far more influential. In every month, positive opinions accounted for more than 80% of the potential audience for opinions on US airlines. Amplicate's new report is part of its new social analytics reports service. Amplicate offers in-depth social media analytics reports on every imaginable topic. Reports explain what people have been saying about a topic, when and where they're saying it and why. About Amplicate Amplicate tracks and analyses opinions on any topic posted on social media. It currently tracks over 150m opinions from over 30m people. Amplicate has been featured in TechCrunch and its data has been used by The Telegraph and CNN among others. SOURCE: Amplicate Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC