Flight Safety Information November 16, 2011 - No. 234 In This Issue William Voss (President -Flight Safety Foundation) Received Joseph T. Nall Award French Pilots Union Calls for Independent Crash Investigatio Airplane returns to Pittsburgh after engine problem Chinese training school orders 20 Cirrus SR20s London-bound flight from Vancouver forced to make emergency landing at YVR Investigator: Plane Dropped 7,000 Feet Before Crash UK researchers unveil silent aircraft concept IATA calls on industry players to unite for fuel safety and sustainability Europe Bans Airport Body Scanners For "Health and Safety" Concerns Air Nigeria Resumes Operation, Re-assures Travellers of Safety With new academy, Emirates Airline pilots will soon be trained on home soil INTERNATIONAL AIR & TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BAR ASSOCIATION _____________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 14, 2011 For Further Information Contact: Michael L. Dworkin Executive Vice President NTSB Bar Association (415) 421-2500 E-Mail: mdworkin@avialex.com * * * * * * * INTERNATIONAL AIR & SAFETY BAR ASSOCIATION PRESENTS THIRD ANNUAL JOSEPH T. NALL AWARD TO WILLIAM R. VOSS, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION The International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association (formerly National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association), the Washington, D.C.-based organization of attorneys and other aviation professionals practicing before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT), awarded its Third Annual Joseph T. Nall Award to William R. Voss, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation. Mr. Voss has served with Flight Safety Foundation since October, 2006. Between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Voss had been director of the Air Navigation Bureau of the International Civil Aviation Organization, overseeing the development of major international safety initiatives. Prior to joining ICAO, Mr. Voss spent 23 years with the Federal Aviation Administration, rising through the ranks to become Director of Air Traffic Systems Development. The Award is named in memory of Joseph T. Nall, who served as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1986 until his untimely death in 1989 while on official NTSB business in Caracas, Venezuela. The Award is given annually and seeks to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation and transportation safety. The Award was formally presented to Mr. Voss at the Bar Association's Gala Dinner at the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida on Friday evening, November 11, 2011, in conjunction with the Bar Association's "Blue Angels" Aviation Law Conference in Pensacola on November 8-12, 2011. In presenting the Award, the Bar Association specifically noted Mr. Voss' efforts in fostering air safety and data sharing through the decriminalization of aircraft accidents and mishaps, something which the Bar Association has advocated for over a decade. The Bar Association authored a white paper on this subject, published in 2002 in the Journal of Air Law and Commerce. That white paper remains what is perhaps the seminal work on this important subject. The NTSB Bar Association's First Annual Joseph T. Nall award was presented in 2009 to Captain Al Haynes, the pilot of United Airlines Flight 232, which on July 19, 1989, suffered a catastrophic engine explosion severing all hydraulic lines and disabling nearly all flight controls. Captain Haynes and his crew managed to bring the aircraft down at Sioux City, Iowa. 184 of the 296 passengers and crew survived the crash, against all odds. The Second Annual award was presented to Herbert D. ("Herb") Kelleher. Mr. Kelleher served as President and CEO of Southwest Airlines from 1971 to 2001 and as Chairman through 2008. During his 30-year tenure as President and CEO of Southwest, that Company grew each year in the number of aircraft operated, number of personnel employed, number of passengers flown and gross revenue, with a near perfect safety record. Based upon flight cycles and numbers of passengers carried, this safety record is unprecedented in commercial aviation history, both nationally and internationally. More information on the Bar Association can be found at www.ntsbbar.org. Back to Top French Pilots Union Calls for Independent Crash Investigation Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The French pilots union called for a more independent inquiry into the Air France 447 crash in 2009, saying that modified portions of a BEA report raised questions about the investigation bureau's impartiality, the SNPL union said today in a statement. The crash of the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris killed all 228 people on board. The plane crashed after ice-blocked speed sensors shut down the autopilot and the crew incorrectly reacted by pulling the jet into a steep climb until it slowed to an aerodynamic stall, the BEA said in May. Back to Top Airplane returns to Pittsburgh after engine problem FINDLAY TWP. - An airplane for a US Airways Express partner on its way to New York had to return to Pittsburgh Tuesday afternoon when an engine problem was discovered. Valerie Wunder, a US Airways spokeswoman, said the Trans States Airlines Embraer 145 had taken off without incident around 3:45 p.m. from Pittsburgh International Airport on its way to LaGuardia Airport. However, shortly into the flight, the pilot noticed an engine pressure problem and returned to the Findlay Township airport. JoAnn Jenny, spokeswoman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, said the plane landed safely around 4:05 p.m. and returned to the gate. "It was not a high alert," Jenny said. "It was on the lower end of our alerts." Wunder said the 48 passengers were taken off the plane and were in the process of being swapped into another plane as of 5 p.m. so they could resume their journey. http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/airplane-returns-to-pittsburgh-after-engine-problem/article_722c4fea-99cc-52fb-9f6f- 46a07eed8ebb.html Back to Top Chinese training school orders 20 Cirrus SR20s The Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) has ordered 20 Cirrus SR20 aircraft to use for its pilot training sessions. CAFUC will start training technicians to perform maintenance and other services on Cirrus aircraft, the private aircraft manufacturer said in a statement. The new SR20s will add to CAFUC's existing fleet of 200 aircraft. The flight training school has four campuses across China. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top London-bound flight from Vancouver forced to make emergency landing at YVR METRO VANCOUVER - A London-bound flight from Vancouver carrying nearly 300 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing at YVR airport late last night. The Air Transat flight returned to Vancouver at around midnight on Tuesday, a spokeswoman with the YVR airport authority confirmed Wednesday morning. She couldn't disclose the type of emergency, but said it was an Airbus 330. More to come ... Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/London+bound+flight+from+Vancouver+forced+make+emergency+landing/5719299/story.html#ixzz1dsmJ20p Y Back to Top Investigator: Plane Dropped 7,000 Feet Before Crash January Crash In Sangre de Cristos Killed Iowa Doctor, Friend DENVER -- An investigator says a single-engine plane that crashed in Colorado in January plummeted 7,000 feet in one minute before slamming into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, killing both people aboard. The pilot was 66-year-old Dr. Michael O. Welton and his passenger was 70-year-old Roswitha Marold. Both were from Waterloo, Iowa. They were flying from Arizona to Pueblo, Colo. National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jason Aguilera said Tuesday the plane's fall was more likely caused by the pilot losing control than by turbulence or wind currents. The NTSB said conditions were conducive to icing and other pilots reported moderate icing. Investigators couldn't determine whether Welton's plane had iced up. The NTSB said the single-engine, six-seat Piper Malibu dropped from 19,200 to 12,200 feet, where radar contact was lost. Authorities said the pilot radioed a distress signal shortly before he stopped making radio contact with Air Traffic Control. The wreckage was located at 9,700 feet near Blueberry Peak, on the Huerfano-Custer County line. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/29779762/detail.html Back to Top UK researchers unveil silent aircraft concept Reducing noise from a Boeing 767-sized aircraft to levels so low that take-offs and approaches would not be audible beyond an airport's perimeter is possible with a blended wing body airframe powered by three-fan fully ducted engines, British researchers have concluded. Cambridge University head of engineering Dame Ann Dowling, presenting the findings of the Silent Aircraft Initiative at the Royal Aeronautical Society on 15 November, said the goal of reducing aircraft noise by 25dB - equal to the reduction already achieved since the start of the jet age and taking noise down to a level less than 1% of today's aircraft - could be achieved by ditching wing-and-tube airframes for slatless, flapless blended wing bodies. These would feature a "leading carving edge" shape not previously examined by BWB projects, such as the study carried out at Boeing - a Silent Aircraft Initiative partner along with Rolls-Royce and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Critical to the Cambridge "SAX-40" concept is a radical engine. Studies showed that to achieve target noise levels a conventional turbofan would have to be twice the diameter of even the next-generation engines currently in development, and also mounted above the airframe to shield the ground from its noise. Such an engine would be impractical, said Dowling, so a radical configuration of a single core driving three 1.2m-diameter fans was conceived. Cambridge colleague and propulsion specialist Tom Hynes explained that three such engines, mounted side-by-side across the back of and integrated into the tailless airframe, would draw in air from the boundary layer flowing over the top of the aircraft. Thrust vectoring could help overcome the pitch control issues presented by the absence of a tail. The Cambridge concept also calls for shrouded landing gear, to slash the significant noise from the undercarriage on today's aircraft. And, in an idea borrowed from nature's quietest fliers, owls, trailing edge brushes would also feature to dampen the noise from laminar flow air coming off the wings. The 215-passenger SAX-40 would offer a 5,000nm range, Mach 0.8 cruise and 124 passenger miles per gallon fuel economy. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top IATA calls on industry players to unite for fuel safety and sustainability The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling on key players within the aviation industry to unite to ensure fuel supply safety. The IATA says this is the responsibility of stakeholders within the aviation and air transport fuel supply sectors, who must come together for fuel safety, as well as environmental and commercial issues. IATA's director general and CEO, Tony Tyler, says the issue of fuel contamination demonstrates the need for new technologies and processes that ensures the safety of fuel supply. In addition to safety, sustainability is another issue facing the industry today. Responsible for 2% of the world's total CO2 emissions, airlines are now under pressure to slash their GHG output. One way to do this is with the use of biofuels. Airlines are beginning to trial these 'green' fuels but they still remain expensive and are in short supply. Governments worldwide are now looking to promote the successful implementation of biofuels on a commercial scale by providing financial support for feedstock research and refining processes. They are also working reduce the risk currently associated with investing in this sector, and provide incentives to airlines who utilise biofuels. The implementation of these policies has the potential to slash the cost of these alternative fuels and see the implementation of biofuels sooner rather than later. http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=4280 Back to Top Europe Bans Airport Body Scanners For "Health and Safety" Concerns (FORBES) - The European Union issued a ruling this week that bans X-ray body scanners in all European airports. According to the European Commission, the agency charged with enforcing the ruling across the EU's 27 member nations, the prohibition is necessary "in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens' health and safety." X-ray body scanners, which use "backscatter" ionized radiation technology, emit enough radiation to theoretically damage DNA and cause cancer. While the level of radiation is extremely low, some studies have found that over time a small number of cancer cases could result from scanning millions of people a year. Statistically the incidence is minuscule, but it's a possibility nonetheless. Instead of X-ray scanners, European airports will use millimeter-wave scanners that utilize low-energy radio waves. So far, no credible studies have linked exposure to radio waves to cancer. In the U.S., the TSA uses both types of scanners: 250 X-ray scanners and 264 millimeter wave scanners. Controversy surrounding use of the scanners has focused mainly on privacy concerns, and it would seem that the potential health risks of the technology have been largely downplayed in the interest of security. In response to the EU ruling, the TSA offered a different flavor of statistics showing that since January 2010, more than 300 dangerous or illegal items have been found on passengers as a direct result of using X-ray body scanners. Earlier this month, a PBS Newshour/ProPublica report accused various agencies within the U.S. government of glossing over cancer risks when the scanners were rolled out. According to the report, radiation experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration started raising concerns over use of the technology in 1998 when only 20 machines were in operation throughout the entire country. Quoting from the report: "One after another, the experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle in radiation safety - that humans shouldn't be X-rayed unless there is a medical benefit. But, of course, that was before 9/11. Deployment of scanners increased radically after the attacks, and full-body versions were installed en masse after the failed underwear bombing in 2009. The FDA took issue with the ProPublica report and responded last week with a letter claiming that the cancer risk from X-ray scanners is roughly 1 in 400 million, in stark contrast to ProPublica's assertion that research suggests anywhere from six to 100 Americans a year could develop cancer from use of the machines. The TSA plans to deploy 1,275 backscatter and millimeter-wave scanners covering more than half its security lanes by the end of 2012 and 1,800 covering nearly all the lanes by 2014. Back to Top Air Nigeria Resumes Operation, Re-assures Travellers of Safety Murtala Mohammed Airport Air Nigeria Tuesday confirmed that it had resumed operations, after a one-day strike by its engineers which disrupted activities of the airline. It also assured air travellers that it was committed to international safety standards, insisting that all its 11 operational aircraft were fully serviceable and air worthy. A statement issued by the management of the airline said: "Air Nigeria confirms the recommencement of flight operations this morning - November 15, 2011, following disruptions yesterday due to the strike of the airline's engineers. The airline reaffirms that it operates in strict compliance to safety regulations and has at no time compromised on standards." The company also apologised to its customers, promising them improved service and effective management of the disruption which took place on Monday. "We regret the inconveniences that the disruption caused our passengers and are working to ensure all impact of the disruptions from yesterday are seamlessly managed. We would also like to encourage our valued customers and the general public to please make their flight bookings and proceed for their flights as usual," it said. Air Nigeria confirmed that there were disruptions to its flight operations due to a trade dispute with some aircraft engineers in its employ, but added that it had always kept to international standard on its aircraft maintenance and safety. "The airline continuously adopts world class standards in the execution of its flight operations and maintenance activities, including maintaining a pool of required spares and other tools required for the day to day maintenance of aircrafts in its fleet. The airline also strives to ensure that the conditions of service of its personnel are at par with best practices in the industry," it also said. President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Isaac Balami, who briefed newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed Interna-tional Airport, Lagos Tuesday also confirmed the commencement of Air Nigeria's operations, adding that the Head of Maintenance, Mr. James Erigba, who was sacked, had been reinstated. Balami also stated the safety issue he referred to on Monday was not related to the healthiness of the airline's aircraft, but to the welfare of NAAPE members. He said the engineers were not allowed to go on leave and that their remuneration was relatively low. "Safety issues were raised yesterday because of poor package, not because of the safety of the airline's aircraft. As far as NAAPE is concerned Air Nigeria has not broken any international law in terms of safety. We had a meeting with Aviation Ministry officials and the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, and they agreed to look into the welfare package of the engineers and pilots of the airline." Balami also said the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Kniffe Kayssaye, would hold a meeting with workers of Air Nigeria today on how to improve their welfare. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/air-nigeria-resumes-operation-re-assures-travellers-of-safety/102918/ Back to Top With new academy, Emirates Airline pilots will soon be trained on home soil Emirates Airline plans to open a Dh400 million (US$108.8m) flight training academy at Dubai World Central Airport as the carrier strives to meet its demands for pilots. Come fly with us: Industry Insights Take to the skies with The National as it charts the aviation industry. Learn More The centre will have the capacity to train up to 400 students at a time. Emirates will establish its own flight training organisation, enabling it to train its UAE national cadet pilots in Dubai for the first time, the airline said yesterday. UAE nationals who embark on the Emirates four-year national cadet pilot programme currently have to spend a year-and-a-half doing flight training in Spain, according to the airline's website. "Emirates has a strong relationship with our current cadet training providers, however we feel the time is right to introduce our own cadet pilot training facility," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and chief executive of Emirates. "As well as training our own UAE national cadets, the academy will have the capacity to train a large number of ab initio [beginning] pilots from other carriers and will set the benchmark for training excellence in the region." Industry insiders have noted that Middle East airlines face a significant challenge as they aim to recruit thousands of pilots over the coming years to operate their burgeoning fleets. "The aviation industry is growing at a phenomenal rate and a critical element in this growth is trained pilots," said Sheikh Ahmed. Emirates expects to start building the centre in the first quarter of next year, with the aim of completing it in the third quarter of the following year. Mubadala Aerospace, through its subsidiary Horizon Flight Academy, this week announced plans to establish an advanced flight training facility in the capital in a joint venture with Abu Dhabi Aviation. The centre is designed to serve global commercial and defence customers. Emirates on Sunday announced an $18 billion order for 50 Boeing 777 aircraft, the biggest civil order in the US plane maker's history. http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/with-new-academy-emirates-airline-pilots-will-soon-be-trained-on-home-soil Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC