Flight Safety Information December 28, 2011 - No. 260 In This Issue Cause of fatal organ-transplant chopper crash still 'a big jigsaw puzzle' Report: FAA not adequately tracking pilot errors TSA: Rule for Foreign Aircraft Repair Station Security Due in FY2012 Czech man tried to smuggle 247 animals onto airplane in suitcase Group admits damage to Shannon jet Southwest plane's tires blow at Sacramento airport TSA worker suspended...after security breach at Newark Airport Airlines Count Down to Safest Year on Record Russian airline orders four Boeing Dreamliners Flights delayed and diverted as wind gusts up to 50 mph impact holiday travelers FAA: Reports of 'laser events' at IAH MD-83 Nose Gear-Up...Landing (Pakistan) Cathay investigates 747 cockpit smoke incident Chartis to Hold Aviation Safety Seminar Series Cause of fatal organ-transplant chopper crash still 'a big jigsaw puzzle' Wreckage will be examined in secure area by multiple groups A preliminary investigation shows no indication of what caused Monday's helicopter crash that killed the pilot and two Mayo Clinic staff members en route to Gainesville for an organ transfer, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. "Our task is going to be to look at the wreckage and diagram it to see what on-site evidence can give us," air safety investigator Jose Obregon said outside the scene. The wreckage will be taken to a secure area for more detailed examination, he said. Another preliminary report will be issued in five to seven days and a factual report could come in the next six months to a year and a half. Obregon said the helicopter didn't have a black box type of recording device and that piecing together what happened was like "a big jigsaw puzzle." The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, local authorities, the aircraft's manufactures and the engine's manufacturers will all work together to solve the puzzle, Obregon said. Only 10 percent to 15 percent of the aircraft still remained after the crash caused a forest fire, he said. Killed were Mayo cardiac surgeon Luis Felipe Bonilla, 49, procurement technician David W. Hines, 57, and pilot E. Hoke Smith, 68, of SK Jets in St. Augustine. They were en route from Jacksonville to Shands at the University of Florida hospital to retrieve a heart for a patient at Mayo, officials said. Obregon said the victims' bodies have been removed. The crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. in a dense pine forest southwest of Green Cove Springs, said Lt. Russ Burke of the Clay County Sheriff's Office said Monday. According to observations from the Keystone Heights Airport, the weather at the time of the crash was mostly cloudy with three miles visibility due to fog, the National Weather Service said. The wreckage wasn't spotted till about noon by an air unit and Fish and Wildlife ground crews, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said. Debris was scattered around the crash site, which was hidden from the road by rows of pine trees. The helicopter, which was certified to fly in 1979, was flying without a flight plan, which is not unusual for small aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Among the reasons an aircraft needs a flight plan are when the pilot is relying on instrumentation instead of visuals or is flying above 18,000 feet or wants to receive air traffic control service. SK Jets is a private company that charters jets and helicopters and does its own maintenance. Smith's son, Derrick Smith, is general manager. He estimated that his father and the company's other 12 pilots flew roughly 200 such missions a year. Gary Robb, a Kansas City attorney who specializes in aviation crashes, said SK Jets has a good safety record and noted that it has been certified by Argus International, a Cincinnati-based company that audits the safety procedures of U.S. and overseas charter aviation companies like SK Jets. An official with Argus said the St. Augustine company has a platinum safety rating - meaning it has an excellent safety record and adheres to operational and maintenance practices that exceed FAA requirements. To get the platinum rating, the company had to submit to an on-site visit by a team of experts who evaluated its maintenance and operations practices, said Ed Wandall, director of charter evaluation and qualification for Argus. Derrick Smith said his father, a decorated Army veteran helicopter pilot, started flying when he was a teenager. Hines, a former master sergeant in the Jacksonville-based 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida National Guard, said on his Facebook that he had the best job in the world at Mayo. Bonilla recently transferred from Mayo Clinic Rochester in Minnesota, where his family still remains. Wally Cordell, a tree surgeon from Fleming Island, said Bonilla was scheduled to operate on him Tuesday for lung surgery before getting a call from Mayo about the crash. He was near the site Tuesday by coincidence because he was examining trees for Clay County. "I was supposed to be on the operating table right now," Cordell said. "I was his next patient." He said Bonilla patiently went over every aspect of his scheduled surgery and that anybody who would spend the day after Christmas working to save lives is a "great human being." "He was saving somebody's life, just like he was going to save mine probably," he said. "I didn't know him that long, but just what I knew, he was so good at what he did. It hurt me." William Rupp, a top executive with Mayo Clinic, said professionals such as Monday's crew are on call and in the air every hour transporting organs for patients in dire times. "We've been touched by the outpouring of prayer and sympathy from patients, friends and colleagues who understand the demands and sacrifices made by these dedicated transplant teams," Rupp said. "We hope the community honors their sacrifice by supporting organ donation." Obregon said the Transportation Safety Board will provide the next update at 10 a.m. today. Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-12- 27/story/cause-fatal-organ-transplant-chopper-crash-still-big-jigsaw- puzzle#ixzz1hnlO9tXl ************ Date: 26-DEC-2011 Time: 5:50 LT Type: Bell 206B JetRanger III Operator: S K Logistics Inc. Registration: N5016M C/n / msn: 2636 Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: About 12 miles NE of Palatka, FL - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Mayo Clinic Heliport - 6FL1 Destination airport: Shands Helistop - FL12 Narrative: A Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter, performing a medical flight, crashed about 12 miles northeast of Palatka, FL. All three occupants were killed. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Report: FAA not adequately tracking pilot errors CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A new report shows some pilots have repeatedly failed safety tests and says the Federal Aviation Administration does not do a good job of tracking them. The report from the DOT Inspector General says some of the pilots who fly through Charlotte may have failed test after test, but the FAA's oversight of air carriers' pilot training programs lacks the "rigor" to keep track of poor performing pilots and recognize potential risks. The report also says the agency does a poor job of passing along information about pilots' qualifications to airlines -- and it says inspectors aren't well trained. In some cases, they did not give extra oversight to pilots who had repeatedly failed tests. The issue has been at the forefront of the aviation industry in recent years, especially since a crash near Buffalo three years ago that killed 50 people. The pilot failed four FAA proficiency checks and an investigation found his errors caused the plane to crash. Some people traveling through Charlotte Tuesday said the report made them uneasy. One woman told us her husband flies every week. "I would certainly prefer he travel with somebody who is proficient and passed all their safety tests. I don't know a business where you fail a proficiency test and they let you continue with your job," she said. The report listed several recommendations for the FAA to improve its oversight. The agency agreed with most of the recommendations, and said it will make sure there are resources to put safety changes in place. http://www.wsoctv.com/news/30083262/detail.html Back to Top TSA: Rule for Foreign Aircraft Repair Station Security Due in FY2012 US law has halted the certification of foreign repair stations for US-bound aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since August 2008, pending a final rulemaking from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on a final regulation for aircraft repair station security. That final regulation has been languishing for some time, as the first public meeting on it was held in 2004. TSA issued a proposed rule in November 2009 with the intent to finalize the regulation soon afterward. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told aviation industry stakeholders recently that it would not come up with a final rule until the fourth quarter of 2012, disappointing aviation associations which see the delay in new certifications as harming global commerce. "Repair station security is clearly not a priority for DHS, despite congressional direction requiring the agency to act on multiple occasions," said Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), in a statement. "The result of years of DHS inaction has unfairly punished the aviation industry by impeding exports and hampering manufacturers' ability to capitalize on profitable emerging markets," he added. "It is astonishing that a federal department can procrastinate for more than eight years on an important security rule mandated by Congress. There are no excuses for such bureaucratic foot-dragging especially when it hurts our nation's security and economic well-being." James Coyne, president of the National Air Transport Association (NATA), joined Bunce in calling the delay damaging to businesses, particularly as TSA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) more than two years ago. "We are incredibly disappointed with the response offered by DHS," Coyne said. "The inability of DHS to offer a final rule stifles economic growth in a climate where aviation maintenance facilities big and small need all the help they can get." TSA spokesman Greg Soule sought to assure the aviation industry that TSA was committed to producing an effective final regulation as soon as possible. "As a result of the comments received during the NPRM public comment period, TSA has worked closely with the FAA and conducted extensive research into security measures already in existence at aircraft repair stations. TSA has also completed the review of all pertinent information available to adequately finalize the ongoing rulemaking," Soule said in a statement issued to Homeland Security Today. "While TSA is sensitive to the issues created by the delay in the publication of the final rule, we have been working diligently to complete this task and to address the issues raised by all industry partners," he continued. "We anticipate approval and publication of the final rule in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2012 and look forward to working with all industry associations in the implementation of this new regulation." The aviation associations learned of the latest delay in the final regulation for foreign aircraft repair station security from DHS on Dec. 21. Twenty aviation industry representatives previously sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting a final regulation by the end of 2011. TSA took five years after its first public meeting on the matter to issue the proposed rule under the NPRM process in November 2009. TSA accepted public comments on the proposal for several months, closing them in February 2010. The associations said the aviation industry gave TSA comprehensive feedback on the proposed rule, including the nature and diversity of repair station operations, to produce an effective, risk-based regulation. Christian Klein, executive vice president of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), wrote to TSA chief John Pistole on Nov. 22 to call for action on finalizing the security regulation to lift the certification ban on foreign aviation repair stations. "US-based aerospace companies are prevented from tapping into rapidly expanding overseas markets, stifling job creation and growth for an industry that contributes $39 billion per year to the US economy and employs over 274,600 US workers," Klein wrote. ARSA conducted an informal survey of the aviation industry and reported that the certification ban hurt small and medium-sized businesses, about 83 percent of which were seeking to open new foreign repair stations. Moreover, US-based companies in the survey said they lost $18 million in total revenue and opportunities to create at least 100 new jobs due to the certification ban, according to ARSA. Congress has asked Pistole about the delay of the final rule in the past several years. On Nov. 9, Pistole told a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee that his agency continued to sort through issues pertaining to the security of foreign aircraft repair stations. The delay "has been a factor of the ability of industry to actually put standards in place that were both practical and achievable as opposed to setting an unachievable standard and then working with FAA to say, 'Okay, do you recognize the repair station from a safety perspective,' and then for us from a security perspective," Pistole testified. "We have two standards which may or may not be completely consistent but it has taken too long. There's no excuse for that." Congress directed TSA to address the issue in the Vision 100 -- Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (Public Law 108-176) in 2003. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act (PL 110-53) established the certification ban when TSA did not meet its original deadline for security rules to certify new foreign aviation repair stations. http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/today-s-news-analysis/single-article/tsa-rule-for- foreign-aircraft-repair-station-security-due-in- fy2012/c11b0932e686cded56d493ae52530578.html Back to Top Czech man tried to smuggle 247 animals onto airplane in suitcase Buenos Aires - Airport officials in Argentina potentially saved the lives of 245 of the 247 live creatures, including poisonous snakes, which a Czech man was attempting to smuggle onto a flight in his suitcase. Two of the animals encased were found dead. A Czech man who attempted to smuggle 247 animals onto a plane bound for Madrid, Spain, could face up to 10 years in prison. Karel Abelovsky, 51, packed reptiles and mollusks into a suitcase, shocking airport officials at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to Naharnet the contents of the suitcase were revealed as baggage X-ray technicians noticed live movements inside the case. Amongst the discovery were nine species of poisonous snakes, including yararas, boas and pitvipers. It is believed that Abelovsky was part of an exotic species smuggling ring as part of his haul included extremely rare animals. Several bizarre animal smuggling attempts have been thwarted by vigilant airport staff during 2011. The Huffington Post reported in August that a man was foiled in his attempt to smuggle live turtles and snakes onto a flight out of Miami International Airport, by concealing them under his clothes. Even more bizarre was the case of a Thai woman reported by the Guardian, who was attempting to conceal a tiger cub amongst a suitcase full of stuffed toy tigers bound for Iran. Smugglers have tried to sneak aboard creatures as diverse as leopards, frogs, spiders, crocodiles, and parrots, as part of a lucrative trade in exotic and endangered species. Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/316773#ixzz1hnp7q0vc Back to Top Group admits damage to Shannon jet AN UNNAMED group has claimed responsibility for breaching security at Shannon airport last week and damaging an aircraft used by US military personnel. The DC-10 jet, operated by Omni Air International under contract to the US Air Mobility Command, was targeted in the early hours of December 20th. An antiwar slogan was sprayed on the aircraft and hydraulic lines were damaged. The Garda and airport authorities said no claim of responsibility had been received from any group after the incident. Yesterday, however, the monthly bulletin of the Galway Alliance Against War reproduced the content of a "handwritten communication we received from one of the members of the peace team that sabotaged a US troop transporter at Shannon warport". The alliance claimed to have verified that the person who sent the letter participated in the action. The letter stated: "It was appropriate to carry out this peace action in Christmas week, when the media and politicians' speeches, the world over, are full of hypocritical Christian cant about peace, while they support and even profit from wars in far-off lands." It outlined how the unnamed group was dropped off at a perimeter fence at "Shannon's warport" and then cut through two fences to enter the airfield. It said those involved made their way towards the target aircraft under cover of darkness. "Although there was plenty of activity at the terminal, the area around the plane was completely deserted," it added. "Actually we all lay on the ground observing the plane and its surroundings before we decided to move in and carry out our act of sabotage," the letter claimed. A Garda spokesman said an investigation was continuing. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1228/1224309551017.html Back to Top Southwest plane's tires blow at Sacramento airport SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rescue firefighters responded to a Southwest Airlines flight in distress after two tires blew on the runway Tuesday evening, leaving the jet and its passengers grounded.Sacramento International Airport spokeswoman Laurie Slothower says the left main tires blew at about 6:15pm as Southwest flight 2287 was departing for Seattle. Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Katie McDonald says the pilot quickly aborted the takeoff and emergency crews were called in to hose down the 737 as a precautionary measure. They later set up a portable stairway to let the 130 passengers off the plane. Slothower said there were no injuries and the tires did not spark a fire. McDonald says all passengers are being booked onto other flights.Officials have not determined what caused the blowout and the incident is being investigated. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/27/4148372/southwest-planes-tires- blow-at.html#storylink=cpy TSA worker suspended after security breach at Newark Airport NEWARK, NJ (NYP)-- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has suspended one of its employees at Newark Liberty International Airport after a security breach occurred last Thursday. TSA officials said the security worker, who has been with the agency since 2002, failed to screen two bags before sending them to be placed on two international flights leaving from the New Jersey airport. A co-worker had noticed the improper screening and quickly conducted a re-screening before loading the luggage onto the two aircraft. The flights were able to leave without delay. "The safety of the traveling public is TSA's top priority. We hold our employees to the highest professional standards and take appropriate action when necessary," TSA Spokesman Greg Soule told FOXNews.com. "The individual in question is no longer performing screening duties and appropriate action is being taken." A TSA source at Newark airport said that there could have been many reasons for the breach and that "test luggage" is often sent through the checkpoints to keep security officers on their toes. "The worker could have been distracted for a second, or someone may have been talking to them and they didn't give a complete screening," the TSA source said, adding that the worker likely will face additional training after the suspension. Back to Top Airlines Count Down to Safest Year on Record By DANIEL MICHAELS and ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) This year is on course to be the safest ever for commercial aviation, with roughly one passenger death for every 7.1 million air travelers worldwide, although aviation officials warn that improving accident statistics mask lingering dangers. With only days left, 2011 appears set to eclipse the postwar record low rate of passenger fatalities, set in 2004 at one per 6.4 million passengers, according to Ascend, a consulting firm in London. This year also appears set to end with among the lowest total number of passenger deaths, at 401 to date, despite a sharp rise recently in the number of flights and passengers worldwide. In 2004, 344 passengers died in commercial aviation accidents, but the industry carried 30% fewer passengers on many fewer flights, according to Ascend. The figures exclude acts of terrorism. "Safety is improving and it's improving faster than the industry is expanding," said Paul Hayes, director of safety at Ascend. Locals gather at the site of a propeller-plane crash on Oct. 14 near Madang in Papua New Guinea that killed 28 passengers. The aircraft went down as a violent storm approached. . The record is best for carriers flying Western-built planes. This year, they have experienced one major crash per three million flights worldwide, roughly 49% better than in 2010 and roughly three times better than 2001, according to the International Air Transport Association, a global trade group. The figure represents the industry's best performance since IATA began collecting crash records in the 1940s. Including Russian- built and other types of airliners, the global accident rate fell slightly to about two crashes per million flights, or seven times higher than the rate for Western-built planes such as those made by Airbus-a unit of European Aeronautics Defence and Space Co.- Boeing Co., Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA. The year is also closing with another notable record: the longest period in modern aviation without a single fatal airliner accident, according to Harro Ranter, president of the Aviation Safety Network, a nonprofit organization that tracks accidents and incidents. Since Oct. 13, when a propeller plane crash in Papua New Guinea killed 28 passengers, nobody has died in an airliner, which is generally defined as a commercial, multi-engine airplane carrying 14 or more passengers. The longest previous such period was 61 days, in 1985, according to Mr. Ranter. While the year's records are noteworthy, they don't guarantee future safety-and could even undermine it by breeding complacency, warned Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a global advocacy organization. "We have such a fantastic record" improving safety globally that airlines and governments are tempted to say, "look how well we have fixed it, we're done now," he said. Some safety yardsticks have not improved in many years, while recent accidents and incidents have exposed areas that still need work: safety on the ground at airports, the training of pilots to handle sophisticated computers, and greater awareness of flight hazards in some developing countries. Most of the aviation fatalities in 2011 occurred in Russia, Iran and African countries that have long faced air-safety problems, such as Angola and Congo. This year is on course to be the safest ever for commercial aviation, with only one passenger death for every 7.1 million people carried world-wide. Andy Pasztor has details on The News Hub. Photo: Getty Images The major accident rate in North America, for example, has remained flat at about one in 10 million flights, while in Africa the rate is roughly 40 times greater, according to IATA. But African aviation overall is generally far less dangerous than a few years ago, thanks to concerted efforts by local aviation officials and international regulators. In more developed countries, ground accidents seem stubbornly resistant to stepped-up safety efforts by industry and regulators. Planes running off runways continue to be the most common type of hazard, totalling almost one-fourth of all crashes involving Western-built jets, although they account for a much smaller proportion of deaths. Causes include pilots descending without proper preparations for landing and crews failing to properly enter data or monitor flight computers. Safety officials say better training and discipline are part of the solution, but more-permanent remedies remain elusive. Rarer but far more severe are so-called "loss of control accidents," when a functioning aircraft suddenly makes a catastrophic maneuver, according to Ilias Maragakis, an analyst at the European Union's European Aviation Safety Agency. At a conference EASA held in October about the phenomenon, he said that no single factor is to blame, so combating loss-of-control accidents "requires coordinated actions from multiple actors in aviation," such as airlines, regulators and equipment makers. One immediate response from regulators has been to require increasingly realistic training in simulators, including teaching high-altitude stall recovery techniques. Another major safety threat stems from pilots who become confused by cockpit computers or who rely on automation too much. Such pilots can get into fatal difficulties when they are suddenly forced to revert to manual flying skills in an emergency. The increasing computerization of jetliners and similar big changes to flying mean "we need to admit that fundamental changes need to occur," including how pilots are recruited, trained and tested, Mr. Voss told an international safety conference in Singapore last month. That shift is one of many that safety experts say are necessary to further reduce accidents. Historically, improvements have come largely from better equipment and pilot training. Experts believe that in the future, however, the biggest advances will come primarily from analyzing huge volumes of data about a broad array of incidents, culled from multiple carriers across the globe. The technique "allows us to find that rare, high-risk event that a single carrier" could never identify or counter by itself, according to Ken Hylander, the top safety official at Delta Air Lines Inc. and the head of a joint FAA-industry safety team. Early versions of such forward-looking data analysis played a major role in cutting U.S. accident rates since the late 1990s, and they are being embraced by regulators and airline executives in scores of other countries. Now, the FAA and U.S. carriers are trying to involve foreign counterparts in similar dissection of safety data retrieved from actual flights and voluntary pilot reports. The trend is gaining particular momentum in Russia and across Latin America. Yet sharing safety data across borders poses huge technical and legal challenges. As a result, not a single foreign carrier is fully participating in - or providing safety data for - the FAA's most ambitious threat-analysis system. In seeking common causes of crashes around the world, "no longer is there a clear distinction between domestic and international accidents," said Deborah Hersman, head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, at a speech to the United Nations' aviation body in Montreal earlier this month. Back to Top Russian airline orders four Boeing Dreamliners Russia's Transaero Airlines said Tuesday that it had agreed to acquire four Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners as part of its ongoing fleet modernization. The airline said in a statement that it had already made down payments on the planes, indicating they are firm orders. The 787s will be used to replace existing Boeing 767s, and augment a fleet expansion that includes the recent acquisition of two 777-300ERs for longhaul services. It also plans to acquire four Airbus A380s, seating around 700 passengers, as well as Boeing 747-8Is, the revamped passenger version of the jumbo jet. The Moscow-based carrier already has the region's largest fleet of wide-body Boeing 747-400s and 777s, with the former used mainly for vacation flights. Transaero carried 6.6 million passengers last year, 80% of them on long-haul flights to a mix of business centers such as New York and Beijing and a raft of leisure destinations in Europe and the Americas. Rival Aeroflot-Russian Airlines has 22 Dreamliners on order. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-russian-airline-orders-four- boeing-dreamliners-20111227,0,5460770.story Back to Top Flights delayed and diverted as wind gusts up to 50 mph impact holiday travelers NEW YORK (AP) - Air travelers through New York City have experienced extensive delays as wind gusts up to 50 mph played havoc with flight schedules. The strong winds associated with a storm that passed through the region Tuesday caused some flights to be delayed for hours or diverted to other airports. National Weather Service meteorologist Adrienne Leptich (LEP-tick) said the delays occur because the number of planes that can land safely in an hour in high winds must be decreased. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that some arriving flights at Newark International Airport were delayed an average of 2 hours and 8 minutes while flights into LaGuardia Airport were delayed an average 1 hour and 34 minutes. Kennedy International Airport reported minor delays. Back to Top FAA: Reports of 'laser events' at IAH HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There were two reports of what the FAA calls a laser event at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday evening. The first report came in around 6:30pm Tuesday, according to the FAA, when United Flight 1523, a B737, reported that the cockpit was illuminated by a green laser at around 6,000 feet as it approached Runway 27 at IAH. No injuries were reported and the flight landed without incident. At around the same time, the FAA says the pilot of an Atlantic Southeast Regional jet departing from IAH reported a similar laser incident. There were no injuries reported. According to the FAA, from January to June of this year, there have been more than 30 reports of laser events at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The maximum civil penalty the FAA can impose on an individual for violating the agency's regulations is $11,000 per violation. The airport with the most laser events nationwide is LAX. Back to Top MD-83 Nose Gear-Up Landing (Pakistan) Date: 25-DEC-2011 Time: ~10am LT Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Operator: AMC Airlines Registration: SU-BOZ C/n / msn: 53192/2155 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 72 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Jinnah Int. Airport (former Quaid-e-Azam Int. Airport) - KHI/OPKC - Pakistan Phase: Landing Nature: International Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: TUU/OETB Destination airport: UET/OPQT Narrative: A Saudi Arabian chartered McDonnell Douglas MD-83 of AMC Airlines, enroute from Tabuk Regional Airport - TUU/OETB to Quetta International Airport - UET/OPQT, diverted to Jinnah Int. Airport (former Quaid-e-Azam Int. Airport) - KHI/OPKC, after the crew reported problems with the nose gear. After two attemps the aircraft landed with an undeployed nose gear, resulting in relative minor damage. All 72 passengers and crew remained safe. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Cathay investigates 747 cockpit smoke incident An investigation is underway to determine the source of smoke that caused the diversion of a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 aircraft. On 23 December, the aircraft, with registration B-HOV, was four hours and 10 minutes into a flight on the London-Hong Kong route when the crew detected smoke in the cockpit and cabin. The aircraft was diverted to Moscow and a priority landing was requested as a precautionary mesure, said Cathay Pacific in a statement. After the aircraft landed safely, 197 passengers and 22 crew were disembarked via normal means. There were no injuries. The aircraft is still in Moscow and an investigation is underway. Cathay Pacific dispatched another 747-400 to collect the passengers. According to Flightglobal's ACAS database, B-HOV was built in 1991 and is powered by four Rolls Royce RB211 engines. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Chartis to Hold Aviation Safety Seminar Series, "Chartis Risk Solutions," in 2012 NEW YORK, Dec 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Chartis today announced that "Chartis Risk Solutions," a series of aviation safety seminars, will be held in a number of U.S. cities throughout 2012. The seminar series will be hosted by the Chartis Aerospace Safety and Loss Control team, joined by underwriting and claims staff, who will present topics such as Business Continuity Planning and Job Safety Analysis. The first seminar will be held on January 25, 2012, at Boca Aviation in Boca Raton, Florida. The information for this seminar is as follows: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Boca Aviation 3700 Airport Road Boca Raton, FL 33431 800-335-2622 There will be four additional seminars in the 2012 series: San Francisco, CA Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Dallas, TX Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Teterboro, NJ Tuesday, October 23, 2012 White Plains, NY Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Information on the four additional seminars will be provided as the seminar dates approach. The seminars are offered at no cost, with lunch included. Attendance is open to anyone interested in enhancing corporate productivity and protecting their aviation business through effective risk management programs. The list of guest speakers and topics will be announced via website postings at www.chartisinsurance.com/aerospace . Please register at www.chartisinsurance.com/aerospace or e-mail your registration request to aviationsafety@chartisinsurance.com. About Chartis Chartis is a world leading property-casualty and general insurance organization serving more than 70 million clients around the world. With one of the industry's most extensive ranges of products and services, deep claims expertise and excellent financial strength, Chartis enables its commercial and personal insurance clients alike to manage virtually any risk with confidence. Chartis is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty and general insurance operations of Chartis Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.chartisinsurance.com . All products are written by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of Chartis Inc. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions and is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain coverage may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. SOURCE: Chartis Inc. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC