Flight Safety Information October 24, 2011 - No. 218 In This Issue Security officials at LAX fail to detect loaded gun in bag U.S. FAA proposes $1 Million in civil penalties against Pinnacle Airlines Fuel Truck Crashes into Jet at BWI Laser attacks on planes continue, despite greater penalties Pilots, Mechanical Problems Faulted in American Air Mishap Cathay investigates sleeping pilot photo Missinippi Air of Manitoba Suspended by Canada Super jumbo makes emergency landing 2 aboard helicopter killed as it crashes in Mexico City residential area Boeing Dreamliner Composite Repairs Questioned by U.S. Watchdog Security officials at LAX fail to detect loaded gun in bag A luggage ramp crew retrieved the .38-caliber handgun after it tumbled from a duffel bag they were loading onto Alaska Airlines Flight 563 to Portland, Ore. The owner took a later flight to Portland, and the gun was turned over to police. A loaded and undeclared .38-caliber handgun tumbled from a checked bag at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday, prompting police to detain the gun owner temporarily. A luggage ramp crew discovered the weapon after it fell from an unzipped compartment in a duffel bag they were loading onto Alaska Airlines Flight 563, according to police and the airlines. The plane was leaving the terminal at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, bound for Portland, Ore. Workers called Los Angeles Airport Police to report the discovery. The owner of the gun, whose name has not been released, was questioned at the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific station and was allowed to board a later flight to Portland. The gun was turned over to Los Angeles police, the sources said. Guns are allowed in locked containers in checked bags, but they are not allowed to be loaded, and passengers are required to notify the airline. The traveler hadn't done that, according to the Transportation Security Administration and Alaska Airlines. The traveler told authorities he had flown out of Portland with the same bag, with the gun inside, three days earlier. It was not clear whether he had notified the airline about the gun that time. TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said the bag had been screened for explosives and none was found. She also noted that because the firearm was in a checked bag, the passenger would not have had access to it during the flight. Dankers said the TSA screens for firearms stowed in carry-on luggage but that it was not the agency's responsibility to detect firearms in checked luggage. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said airline personnel do not screen luggage and that it is passengers' responsibility to "self-disclose dangerous goods." They are prompted to do so when they check in, she added. Although representatives of both the TSA and the airline said they were following established policies, Marshall McClain, the president of the union that represents officers in the Los Angeles Airport Police, said the TSA should more thoroughly screen luggage. "Local law enforcement needs to know that TSA is doing their part," McClain said. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tsa-handgun- 20111024,0,5447457.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Flocal+%28L.A.+Times+ -+California+%7C+Local+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher Back to Top U.S. FAA proposes $1 Million in civil penalties against Pinnacle Airlines The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing $1,042,500 in civil penalties against Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., of Memphis, Tenn., for allegedly operating two aircraft on a combined 63 flights when they were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. The FAA alleges Pinnacle operated a Canadair Regional Jet on 23 flights between April 30 and May 4, 2009 on which flight crew members performed procedures that should have been performed by maintenance employees, after FAA inspectors had denied an airline request to make the work an operations task instead of a maintenance task. The airline's general maintenance manual requires maintenance workers to install and remove a cable kit when operating an aircraft with an inoperative or missing wheel assembly for the passenger door. Instead, flight crew members performed the procedure on the flights in question. The proposed civil penalty for this violation is $625,000. The FAA also alleges Pinnacle failed to complete inspections of the low-pressure turbine case on a Canadair Regional Jet. The inspections were to identify and track growth of a crack in the case to make sure the crack did not grow to exceed the maximum allowable length. The inspections required by the airline's continuous airworthiness maintenance program must be done every 300 to no more than 600 operating hours. The FAA said Pinnacle let 640 operating hours pass between a May 22, 2010 inspection and a subsequent inspection on Aug. 31, 2010. During that time, a 3.5-inch crack grew to four inches in length. The FAA alleges the airline operated the aircraft on 40 passenger flights between Aug. 25 and 31, when it was not in compliance. The proposed civil penalty for this violation is $417,500. Pinnacle Airlines has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's enforcement letters to respond to the Agency. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Fuel Truck Crashes into Jet at BWI Officials say no injuries reported A Southwest Airlines jet was involved in a runway collision with a fuel truck on Saturday night. A traffic accident happened on the runway at BWI on Saturday night, between a plane and a truck loaded with fuel. Officials at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport say no one was injured when a Southwest Airlines jet and and an airport fuel truck collided on the tarmac. An airport spokesman says the plane was struck by the truck after landing at BWI from Orlando Saturday night. The spokesman described the incident as ``very rare'' and says the plane was taken out of service while the crash is investigated. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Fuel-Truck-Crashes-into-Jet-at-BWI-132429843.html Back to Top Laser attacks on planes continue, despite greater penalties The number of dangerous laser assaults on aircraft cockpits continues to grow at an alarming rate despite increased penalties for anyone caught doing it. Despite higher fines, the number of laser strikes, often happening when a plane takes off or lands, continues to grow. The Federal Aviation Administration says there were 2,733 laser strikes through Oct. 13. The pace threatens to eclipse the 2,836 incidents for all of last year. It's approaching 10 times the 300 reported in 2005. The rising number prompted the FAA in June to impose a civil fine of up to $11,000 for "interfering" with a crew by shining a laser into a cockpit. The fines are easier to pursue than federal criminal sanctions of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for "incapacitating" a crewmember. Arrests are rare for people who can easily shine a hand-held laser into a cockpit and temporarily blind a pilot. The airline industry and pilots unions will confer with police and prosecutors Thursday in Washington to discuss what else can be done to thwart attacks. "Shining a laser at a plane and its pilots is very dangerous," says FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, a 25-year pilot. "You wouldn't want a pilot incapacitated for any reason." Aircraft targeted The FAA reported 2,733 laser strikes on aircraft this year through Oct. 13, closing in on last year's total of 2,836. Airports with the most incidents in 2010: Many attacks occur near airports when planes take off or land. Philadelphia has had the most laser strikes this year with 93. Prosecutions have been rare. Finding culprits can be difficult because commercial jetliner pilots taking off or landing have trouble describing a laser's source for authorities on the ground. Dana Christian Welch of California was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2009 in what the FBI says was the first U.S. trial conviction on federal charges against pointing a laser at a plane. He was found guilty of interfering with pilots by pointing a green laser at a United Airlines jet and an Alaska Airlines jet preparing to land at John Wayne Airport in Orange County in May 2008. The United Airlines pilot told investigators it was "the worst possible time to be distracted." The Alaska Airlines pilot complained that his eyes stung the rest of the night. Passenger airlines aren't the only targets: *Los Angeles prosecutors charged the grandson of the late actor Clark Gable, Clark James Gable, 23, with three felony counts for allegedly pointing a laser at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter flying July 28 above Hollywood Boulevard. He pleaded not guilty. *On July 6, Phoenix police charged Conrad Rzewski, 24, with two counts of felony endangerment for allegedly pointing a laser at their helicopter with two officers aboard. "Depending on the type of laser, it can cause eye damage," Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson says. "I think most of the offenders ... just don't realize how dangerous it can be." http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011-10-23/Laser-attacks-on-planes-continue-despite-greater-penalties/50885806/1 Back to Top Pilots, Mechanical Problems Faulted in American Air Mishap By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) - Federal investigators said mechanical problems and pilot lapses caused an American Airlines Boeing 757 to slide off the end of a snow-covered runway in late 2010 after landing in Wyoming. None of the 181 people aboard were hurt as the jetliner hurtled off the strip in Jackson Hole and hit a three-foot snow embankment. But the Dec. 29 accident has prompted discussion among safety experts for several reasons, including questions about automatic braking systems on certain Boeing planes and the carrier's training programs. The training is intended to help pilots understand the hazards of operating in high altitudes with relatively short strips. The airline's handling of data after the accident also ran contrary to normal accident-investigation procedures, and American was publicly rebuked by the safety board. Days after the accident, the board barred the carrier from participating in the usual manner in the investigation. Data released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday indicated that the plane's thrust reversers, devices at the back of the engines used to slow a plane after landing, failed to engage for almost 18 seconds after touchdown. The crew attempted to deploy the reversers at least three times before they kicked in, but by then the 90-ton jet had used up about two-thirds of the strip. The safety board's report also indicates that when panels on top of the wings failed to pop up automatically to slow the plane, as the crew had commanded, the pilots failed to manually deploy them. During the prior nine months, investigators identified five instances of problems with those panels, called spoilers or speedbrakes, on the accident plane. Mechanics checked the system, replaced some parts and signed it off as fully operational each time, according to the safety board. The last relevant maintenance entry was in September 2010. According to the NTSB, the first officer of American Flight 2253 told investigators that after the crew reverted to using maximum manual brakes, "the airplane felt like a sled." The first officer also told investigators that before the botched landing, it was clear to the crew that "they had to be on their toes and be thinking of everything to get in and out of [Jackson Hole] safely." A spokeswoman for the AMR Corp. unit said the pilots submitted voluntary safety reports after the accident and both the captain and co-pilot "have successfully completed the assigned corrective action." American "will continue to provide its full cooperation and support to the NTSB" and the Federal Aviation Administration, she said. According to a transcript of the plane's cockpit-voice recorder, the captain of the American jet, who had landed many times in Jackson Hole, repeatedly worried about and discussed slippery runway conditions during the approach. An air-traffic controller relayed that the pilots of a business jet preceding the American flight reported braking conditions as poor for the last part of the Jackson Hole runway. The captain's comments to the passengers illustrated concerns about landing under such conditions. In his last cabin announcement, the American Airlines captain told passengers: "We don't try to make a smooth landing here at Jackson Hole...we just put the aircraft on the runway very quickly and firmly and then go into full reverse and then use a heavy amount of braking." Seconds after touchdown, however, the transcript shows the first officer blurting out in a strained voice, "no reverse...I can't get it." The captain ordered him to steer the jet and tried to manipulate the handles to deploy the thrust reversers. After the reversers started working and the crew pushed hard on the brakes but realized the plane wasn't slowing fast enough, the first officer said: "We're screwed." Once the plane jolted to a halt, the captain said: "End of our career." International air-safety experts increasingly have focused lately on the hazards of planes careening off the edges or ends of runways after touchdown. Many of those accidents are caused by landing too fast or too far down the runway. But in this case, the American crew received recent reports of runway conditions and apparently landed in the correct spot at an appropriate speed. The plane received only minor damage Still, the accident has raised concerns about design and maintenance of the Boeing 757's automatic-speed-brake and thrust-reverser systems. In its final report, the safety board may include some recommendations in this area. Friday's documents provided details about what happened in Jackson Hole, but they stopped short of formally pinpointing the probable cause of the accident. On Friday the board also disclosed that three months after the Wyoming accident, the same plane "experienced an auto speedbrake system failure upon touchdown" at San Francisco International Airport. As in Jackson Hole, the speed brakes, or panels on top of the wings, failed to pop up automatically despite being armed to deploy when the wheels touched the runway. "No anomalies were discovered" by mechanics after the San Francisco incident on March 31, the board said, but American Airlines replaced the system and "the airplane was put back into revenue service." In early January, the safety board said American had violated long-established "standards of conduct" by improperly downloading information for the airline's own use from the flight-data recorder of the jet involved in the Wyoming accident. The data was retrieved by American officials before the recorder was shipped to the safety board's lab in Washington. Although none of the data "was missing or altered in any way," board officials said at the time, they considered the misconduct serious enough to bar American from full participation as part of the industry-government investigative team. Such censure is highly unusual, particularly for a major carrier. Some of the material released Friday indicated that American's pilot manuals stress the importance of manually extending speed brakes if they fail to deploy automatically. On the accident aircraft, investigators discovered that the system had failed to work appropriately in automatic mode during two previous landings. According to the safety board, American typically asks pilots to watch a five-minute video to familiarize themselves with the tricky landing procedures at Jackson Hole before they are allowed to fly passengers to the field. In the past, the carrier required first-time pilots to actually fly into Jackson Hole under the supervision of a senior American training captain, called a check airman. In addition, the Jackson Hole crash has sparked an ongoing dispute between the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Authority over whether accident investigators should have access to certain safety data that U.S. airlines routinely and voluntarily provide to the government. More than eight months ago as part of the American Flight 2253 probe, Deborah Hersman, the chairman of the safety board, asked the FAA for such data related to safety lapses and runway overruns at various airports over the years. Among other things, the board was seeking information about incidents in which pilots had to manually deploy speed brakes. High-ranking FAA officials balked at the request, arguing that handing over the data-even in sanitized form-could chill collection of voluntary pilot reports covering all types of safety missteps and incidents. In a recent interview, Ms. Hersman said the issue still hasn't been resolved but the board continues to talk with the FAA, airlines and pilot-union leaders "about setting up a process" to gain access to the data. "We're going to see how this conversation goes," she said, before making additional requests. FAA officials have said the agency hasn't made a final decision about turning over historical safety data that previously was considered off-limits to the safety board. Back to Top Cathay investigates sleeping pilot photo Cathay Pacific is looking to punish staff after a crew member was photographed sleeping in the cockpit at 11,000 metres, however, the carrier is targeting the photographer and not the sleepy driver. While some would think the photo snapped resting on board a flight travelling between Dubai and Hong Kong in August this year would be in the wrong, the carrier said the pilot was authorised to take "controlled naps" but the photographer was not permitted to take and release photos from the cockpit, Monsters and Critics reported. "There are guidelines and policies at Cathay Pacific relating to the unauthorized taking and release of photographs from the cockpit," a spokesperson said. "These are known to all employees. "We are following procedures relating to those guidelines." The spokesperson added that "controlled rest" is common for pilots and is used by some of the world's best airlines. "This includes Cathay Pacific, which allows controlled rest under strictly controlled conditions, which permit one pilot of a two-crew aircraft, to take a short rest during low workload periods during the cruise only," the spokesperson explained. Cathay's spokesperson added that a rest period is permitted for up to 40 minutes and sees the co-pilot take complete control of the aircraft. http://www.etravelblackboard.com/article/124567/cathay-investigates-sleeping-pilot-photo Back to Top Missinippi Air of Manitoba Suspended by Canada Again on Safety Concerns (Bloomberg) - Missinippi Airways, a charter-and- cargo carrier that flies to northern Manitoba and the Arctic, was ordered by the Canadian government for the second time this year to suspend service because of safety concerns. The suspension of the company's Air Operator Certificate is based on safety concerns related to the company's operational control system, Transport Canada said today in a statement. Without a certificate, a company cannot provide commercial air services in Canada. Missinippi's operations were also suspended after an investigation of a July 4 accident in Pukatawagan, Manitoba, according to a July 16 statement from Transport Canada. The carrier must "must demonstrate that it meets all applicable safety regulations before Transport Canada will reissue its Air Operator Certificate," the government agency said today. A call placed by Bloomberg News to Missinippi's headquarters after regular business hours wasn't immediately returned. Back to Top Super jumbo makes emergency landing Hyderabad - An Emirates Airbus A380, the largest passenger airliner in the world, flying from Bangkok to Dubai, made an emergency landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, after pilots detected a technical snag, during the early hours of Sunday. The aircraft EK385, with 481 people on board, including passengers and crew, touched down at 0345 hours at RGIA. A full contingent of fire tenders, ambulances and support staff was on standby to provide emergency assistance. The aircraft, which was flying over central India, was diverted and permitted to land in RGIA. The aircraft initially approached the Chennai airport but did not get clearance for landing as the runway was busy. The pilot then contacted Air Traffic Control at Shamshabad, 20 kms from here and got the clearance to land. "All the passengers, mostly foreign nationals, were got off from the aircraft immediately," RGIA spokesperson said, adding that the reasons for the emergency landing are also being looked into. Responding to the emergency landing, the Airport Rescue Fire Fighters upgraded themselves from CAT-9 to CAT-10 category to ensure safe landing of the aircraft. "In order to handle Jumbos, the airport needs to be a CAT- 9 and the number of vehicles in service required for CAT 8, 9 and 10 is identical - three. The difference is that depending on the category, more extinguishing agent is required," the spokesperson said. For CAT-10, the airport would need to own three vehicles with an 11,000 litre capacity, plus an adequate volume of performance level B foam. The aircraft was then towed to the parking bay and passengers have been sent to Dubai on another aircraft. While 80 passengers boarded a Hyderabad - Dubai Emirates flight (EK527), another special flight was operated by Emirates later in the day. A few more were supposed to take different flights on Sunday evening to their destination. This is the second time that A380 has landed at Hyderabad. During the civil aviation exhibition in October 2008, the aircraft had landed at Begumpet Airport. The aircraft, with a seating capacity of 525, came from the company's headquarters in Toulouse, France. In June 2011, a Sydney- Dubai commercial aircraft (EK-413) landed here because of a medical emergency. It then landed at the RGIA marking the first landing of the super-jumbo at India's first Code F compliant airport - equipped to receive larger aircrafts. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/199928/super-jumbo-makes-emergency-landing.html Back to Top 2 aboard helicopter killed as it crashes in Mexico City residential area MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico State authorities say a helicopter carrying a government official has crashed in a residential area of Mexico City, killing his assistant and a co-pilot. The helicopter carrying Mexico state Metropolitan Development Secretary Fernando Garcia and his assistant crashed Friday against a wall and on top of some cars in the Coyoacan borough. Mexico state Communication Secretary Apolinar Mena tells Milenio Television that the secretary and the main pilot were injured were taken to a hospital. The loud crash frightened residents in the district of many narrow cobblestone streets, some lined with mansions and ancient trees. No other damage or injuries were reported. Mena said Garcia was heading to a meeting. Back to Top Boeing Dreamliner Composite Repairs Questioned by U.S. Watchdog (Bloomberg) - Members of the media look at a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner for All Nippon Airways Co. in a hanger at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. The Dreamliner faces four "safety-related concerns" about repairs to the composites used for the fuselage and wings, the GAO said. Photo: Haruyoshi Yamaguchi/Bloomberg . Boeing Co. (BA)'s new 787 Dreamliner, set to fly its first paying passengers next week, faces four "safety-related concerns" about repairs to the composites used for the fuselage and wings, a U.S. agency said. A review of the Dreamliner, the first airliner built with carbon-fiber reinforced composite plastics instead of metal, was released Oct. 20 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The GAO identified four concerns: limited information on the behavior of airplane composite structures; technical issues with the materials' unique properties; standards for repairs; and training and awareness. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certified the 787 in August following 20 months of flight tests, after requiring that Boeing take extra steps to demonstrate its safety. The GAO was asked by three members of Congress to review the FAA's certification process and planned oversight once the model enters service, and consulted experts on repair and maintenance. "None of the experts believed these concerns posed extraordinary safety risks or were insurmountable," the GAO said in its report. Still, while the FAA is taking action to address the matters, "until these composite airplanes enter service, it is unclear if these actions will be sufficient," the report said. The 250-seat Dreamliner uses the lighter-weight composites, new engines and the first all-electric system to help it fly farther with less fuel. Charter Flight Chicago-based Boeing delivered the plane last month to its first customer, Tokyo-based All Nippon Airways Co., more than three years late after Boeing struggled with the new materials and manufacturing processes. The Dreamliner is scheduled for a charter flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Oct. 26 and will enter regular service the following week. "Regardless of the materials we use, Boeing employs the same rigorous methods to deliver products that are safe for the flying public and efficient for airlines," said Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman in Seattle. "Composite materials have been used in commercial airplanes for decades. ''The concerns in the GAO report are limited to support activities,'' which already are being addressed through an industrywide effort involving regulators, manufacturers, operators and maintenance and repair organizations, Birtel said. Boeing has used composites for other airliners before, including the 777, though never for the whole fuselage and wings as in the 787. Repairs Different The Dreamliner's fuselage is made of reinforced carbon fibers spun around a barrel mold and baked, so repairs will be handled differently than with traditional aircraft that are built of riveted aluminum panels. ''The FAA conducts a rigorous certification process for every new airplane that ensures it meets the highest levels of safety, and the FAA has certified commercial aircraft that use composite materials for decades,'' the agency said yesterday in a statement. ''In addition to the extensive certification requirements, the FAA's robust safety oversight system is designed to detect and correct any issues that may emerge during actual flight.'' The GAO's review was requested by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Representative Donna Edwards of Maryland and Representative Jerry Costello of Illinois, all Democrats. They wrote a letter to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt on Oct. 20, asking that he explain what ''practical and proactive'' steps are being taken to ensure ''robust oversight'' of the 787's maintenance and repair. Training Personnel As the model enters service, the FAA will need to train more personnel to deal with composites and certify more repair centers to handle work on the new planes, the GAO report said. Boeing has orders for about 800 of the 787s from carriers around the world, making it the company's fastest-selling new plane ever. ''Composite-built aircraft present opportunities as well as unique and complex challenges, and we need to make sure the FAA is addressing all of these challenges appropriately," Johnson said yesterday in a statement. All Nippon Airways's first Dreamliner already suffered some slight surface damage to the engine cowling when it hit a passenger boarding bridge earlier this month, Flightglobal reported Oct. 19. The plane resumed regular flight tests with the carrier in Japan after the company did some checks, the trade publication said. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC