Flight Safety Information October 26, 2011 - No. 220 In This Issue Antonov transport plane crash in Yemen kills 4 Internal Emails Reveal Doubts About Flight 3407 Pilot Flight safety body denies Mi-8 grounding order Mid-flight terror as Delta passenger tries to open emergency exit Antonov transport plane crash in Yemen kills 4 An Antonov An-26 military transport operated by the Yemeni Air Force en route from San'a-Al Dalaimi Air Base (SAH) crashed while landing 155 miles to the southeast at Al- Anad Air Base in Lahej provence, Yemen on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 killing at least 4 of the 15 persons on board, including three Syrian technicians and one Yemeni military personnel, according to reports published on this date by the Aviation Safety Network, AFP, Defense News, and other sources. The Soviet era aircraft reportedly exploded after impacting the runway at the military base. http://www.examiner.com/airlines-airport-in-national/antonov-transport-plane-crash- yemen-kills-4 Back to Top Internal Emails Reveal Doubts About Flight 3407 Pilot Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that pilot error was to blame for the February 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 over Buffalo, N.Y. And newly released internal emails from Colgan Air - the company Continental contracted with to fly that regional route - reveal that Colgan itself had concerns about the abilities of Marvin Renslow, the captain of 3407, six months before the fatal flight. The emails, released as part of wrongful death lawsuits filed against Colgan by family members of 3407 passengers, reveal the concerns of Colgan higher-ups as they discussed which pilots were capable of handling a type of aircraft called the Bombardier Dash-8 Q400. The Q400 was the aircraft involved in the fatal crash. "How about Renslow?" a Colgan supervisor asks in an email to two other supervisors in August 2008. "You might want to check the training records. There is something in the back of my mind on Renslow." "Yes, you are correct," one of the two supervisors responds in an email. "Rensloe [sic] had a problem upgrading." "Anyone that does not meet the mins [minimum standards] and had problems in training is not ready to handle the Q," another supervisor says in a later email exchange. "He is already off the list," one of the other supervisors said of Renslow. A month later, Renslow - who was hired by Colgan in 2005 with only 618 hours of flight time under his belt - was given the nod to fly Q400s. "We're now able to prove what we've always suspected," said Hugh M. Russ III, a lawyer for several of the families said about the new emails. "Facing financial difficulties, Colgan chose profit over safety." In the years before the crash, Colgan was in the process of transforming itself from a small, family-owned company to a major player in the regional airline business. Part of that transformation included an upgrade to the Q400, which could hold more passengers - 74 - than the Saab plane the company usually used. In 2007, Continental signed a new contract with Colgan to operate 15 new Q400s out of Newark, N.J. The agreement stipulated that Colgan start flying the planes for Continental beginning February 2008, leaving a brief window for the company to train pilots. Beginning in May 2008, according to internal Colgan correspondence, FAA inspectors begin observing problems with Colgan's transition to the Q400s, including issues with airspeed limitation compliance, incorrect use of the automated control system and incorrect cabin-to-cockpit communications procedures. The correspondence also shows Colgan was short on supervisory pilots for its new fleet. By the time Capt. Renslow took the helm of 3407, the operations manual for the Q400 had not been completed by Colgan. As pilot Corey Heiser explained to FRONTLINE, the manual is critical to flying an aircraft: "[It] tells us how to operate it when abnormalities and emergencies happen." In January 2009, a month before the crash, Colgan signed a new contract with Continental to double its Q400 capacity by the third quarter of 2010. In response to the newly-released emails, Pinnacle Airlines Corp., which bought Colgan Air in 2007, says Renslow was required to pass an extra test before being cleared to fly the Q400, and passed FAA-required training on the aircraft. "Captain Renslow was properly trained, certified and qualified under all applicable federal aviation regulations to act as pilot-in-command of a Q400 aircraft," the company said. www.npr.org Back to Top Flight safety body denies Mi-8 grounding order Russian flight safety authority Rosaviatsia denies it has any plans to temporarily ground the nation's fleet of Mil Mi-8T helicopters Russian flight safety authority Rosaviatsia denies it has any plans to temporarily ground the nation's fleet of Mil Mi-8T helicopters, the watchdog said on Wednesday following media reports that a ban was being considered. The Mi-8 and its updated variant, the Mi-17, is the most widely produced helicopter in history, and hundreds remain in service throughout the world, particularly in Russia and the former Soviet Republics. Recent media reports claimed that the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK), a CIS flight safety authority, had issued a recommendation to the Mil Moscow Helicopter Factory, the design authority for the Mi-8, that the machine should have modifications to protect passengers from parts of the engine which could break up in an accident. "There is no discussion of a temporary grounding of the Mi-8," Rosaviatsia said, and declined further comment. RIA Novosti was unable to obtain comment from MAK, or Mil in Moscow. The Mi-8 is a utility helicopter often used in passenger transport roles, particularly in Russia's oil and gas industry and the armed forces. http://en.ria.ru/mlitary_news/20111026/168125578.html Back to Top Mid-flight terror as Delta passenger tries to open emergency exit above 30,000ft A Delta Airlines flight from Las Vegas was grounded on Sunday afternoon after an Atlanta-area man allegedly attempted to open an emergency exit above 30,000ft. Richard Joel Garber, 60, was seated on board Flight 1702 when he tried to open pry open a cabin door once the plane had reached cruising altitude, investigators say. Passengers reportedly tackled the suspect to the ground and notified the flight crew. The aircraft returned to Las Vegas without further incident, according to an FBI spokesman. Grounded: Delta Airlines Flight 1702 returned to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon after the incident The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports it was about an hour into the flight when Garber, who was sitting in one of the emergency exit seats, tried to open the latch to a door over the wing, sending passengers into a fit of panic. TSA spokesman Jon Allen said the agency was notified about the incident at approximately 1:50pm on Sunday. The flight returned safely to Vegas' McCarran International Airport, where Garber was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Special Agent Patrick Turner told CBS Las Vegas: 'Mr Garber attempted to open the emergency exit door over the wing while the aircraft was in flight. Panic: Richard Joel Garber, 60, allegedly attempted to open an emergency exit about an hour into the flight when passengers tackled him to the ground '(He) was detained by fellow passengers and the aircraft returned to Las Vegas... without further incident.' Garber was held at Henderson Detention Center in Henderson, Nevada, and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate on Monday afternoon. He was released on his own recognizance on the condition that he does not fly until his case is resolved. Garber is charged with crimes aboard an aircraft and interfering with flight crew, both of which are federal offences. Investigators have not issued comment regarding his alleged motives in trying to exit the plane. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2053563/Delta-passenger-tries-open-door- flight.html#ixzz1btmv6nId Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC