Flight Safety Information December 13, 2011 - No. 251 In This Issue Two Army helicopters crash at JBLM, four aviators killed 2011 safest year for air travel since 1945 Southwest orders record 208 planes from Boeing Gun in carry-on accidentally fired United jetliner grounded until FAA completes review following emergency landing Two Army helicopters crash at JBLM, four aviators killed Accident happened during training exercise at southwest end of base BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD-Two Army helicopters crashed Monday night in a training area at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), killing all four aviators aboard. The crash occurred sometime after 8 p.m. a JBLM statement said. Two OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters went down inside the southwest training area at JBLM, in Thurston County. Names of the dead have not been released pending notification of next of kin. There was no one else aboard the copters, and no injuries to anyone on the ground. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. An investigation has already begun by local authorities at JBLM. The Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., will lead the overall investigation into the accident, JBLM said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the soldiers involved in this tragic accident," said Maj. Gen. Lloyd Miles, acting senior Army commander at JBLM and deputy commanding general of I Corps. "We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, and we will do everything in our power to support the families of the brave soldiers who died this evening." JB Lewis-McChord, south of Tacoma, has more than 40,000 military personnel stationed at the installation. With dependent family members, the population of JB Lewis-McChord is more than 100,000 people. Almost 70 percent of the military families live in the surrounding communities. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/kcpq-two-military-helicopters-from- jblm-crash-at-least-6-dead-two-injured-sources-say-20111212,0,6574374.story Back to Top 2011 safest year for air travel since 1945 Accidents and fatalities decreased globally this year, except in Russia, according to IATA It was the best year (so far) for air safety since IATA began recording accidents and incidents.. The first 11 months of 2011 was the safest period to travel by plane since 1945, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "As of the end of November, global safety performance (for Western-built jets) is at the best level recorded, and is 49 percent better than the same time last year," said Gunther Matschnigg, senior vice president for safety, operations and infrastructure for IATA. This makes 2011 the safest year for air travel since the International Civil Aviation Organization began collecting data in 1945. IATA has calculated and published global airline safety records based on ICAO data since 2000. The number of fatal accidents fell to 22 from 23 last year. The number of passenger and crew fatalities also declined, down to 486 compared to last year's 786 deaths. Globally, the accident rate was 2.16 per million take-offs in the first 11 months of 2011 and across all regions accident rates have fallen except in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region -- comprised of Russia and former Soviet republics. The accident rate in the CIS region increased from 7.15 per million take-offs in 2010 to 11.07 per million take-offs this year. In North America, accident rates fell to 1.18 per million from 1.51 in 2010. In the Asia- Pacific region, the rate fell to 1.39 from 2.51, and for Europe the figure fell to 1.39 from 1.59. According to an IATA study conducted in 2010, there is no particularly common type of plane accident that occurs. The five most common types of accidents are: runway excursions when the jet goes off the runway; a gear-up landing or a gear collapse; loss of in-flight control; ground damage; and in-flight damage, the IATA reported. The IATA has 240 member airlines from 118 countries, which make up 84 percent of all air traffic in the world. . Read more: 2011 safest year for air travel since 1945 | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/planes-fly-safer-skies-year- 547731#ixzz1gQWa6zmu Back to Top Southwest orders record 208 planes from Boeing NEW YORK (AFP) - Boeing will sell Southwest Airlines 208 airplanes, including 150 of its new 737 MAX aircraft, in the largest order ever for the US aerospace giant, the companies said Tuesday. "Southwest is a special Boeing customer and has been a true partner in the evolution of the 737," Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive Jim Albaugh said in a statement heralding the record deal. The firm order is Boeing's largest both in dollar value -- nearly $19 billion at list prices -- and in the number of airplanes, the Chicago-based company said. Southwest, the big budget airline, became the launch customer for the 737 MAX, a re- engined version of Boeing's best-selling airplane that the company promises will reduce fuel consumption. The order "supports Southwest's initiative to modernize its all-Boeing fleet, the world's largest fleet of 737s," the statement said. Southwest is set to take delivery of the first 737 MAX airplane when it enters service in 2017. Boeing said it so far has orders and commitments for more than 900 737 MAX aircraft from 13 customers. Southwest also ordered 58 Next-Generation 737s. Boeing said that with the Southwest order, the Next-Generation 737 family has won orders for more than 6,600 airplanes, of which it has delivered more than 3,800. Back to Top Gun in carry-on accidentally fired A police officer accidentally fired a gun found in a passenger's bag Sunday at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (CNN) -- Some travelers sleepily making their way through airport security in Atlanta Sunday morning got a startling wake-up. A gun detected in a carry-on at a checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was accidentally fired by an investigating officer around 9 a.m. Sunday, according to a police report. Transportation Security Administration screeners reported the gun to Atlanta police officer N.J. Phillips, the officer wrote in an Atlanta Police Department report. The gun's owner was telling Phillips how to clear the loaded .22 Magnum revolver when it was accidentally discharged, Phillips reported. "The weapon was pointed down towards the screening table." "I was grazed by a pellet fragment on the left side of my face," Phillips wrote. "However, there were no visible injuries." The gun's owner, Richard Popkin of Kathleen, Georgia, told Phillips he didn't realize the gun was still in his bag, according to the police report. Popkin said he originally intended to pack the bag in his checked luggage, but he removed it because he was concerned about the weight limit for his checked bag, according to the report. Popkin was arrested and charged with carrying a deadly weapon at a public gathering, according to the police report. The TSA followed standard procedure in alerting local law enforcement, the agency said in a statement. "TSA also has opened an investigation and has the authority to level a civil penalty when a firearm is brought to a checkpoint." TSA officers have discovered more than 1,100 firearms at checkpoints this year, the agency said. Firearms are not allowed in carry-on bags or at security checkpoints. Back to Top United jetliner grounded until FAA completes review following emergency landing in Colorado GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - A United Airlines jetliner that made an emergency landing in Grand Junction, Colo., over the weekend after an engine shut down is grounded until the Federal Aviation Administration reviews the airline's investigation and repairs. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said Monday the usual process is to give the airline time to fix the problem, unless an accident was involved. The Boeing 757 was flying from Denver to Los Angeles on Sunday with 125 passengers and crew members on board when one of its two engines shut down. The flight was diverted to Grand Junction Regional Airport, where passengers were put on another plane. Back to Top Curt Lewis