Flight Safety Information January 3, 2012 - No. 001 In This Issue IN FOCUS: Airlines run up a safety debt Co-pilot, three cabin crew grounded after testing positive on alcohol test (India) Allegiant Air Plane Slides Off Runway In Youngstown, Ohio FAA poised to enable police departments to use UAVs domestically Saved by seconds: How an EgyptAir flight was just 37 feet from JFK's worst runway disaster ICAO set to pursue new aviation safety initiatives in 2012 Air Safety is top priority: Minister Magar...(Nepal) Malaysia Airlines prepares for an alliance IN FOCUS: Airlines run up a safety debt Over the last eight years the system of counting airline accidents annually has ceased to be a useful predictor of future safety performance, because nothing significant has happened to the numbers. A projection would show more of the same. That is to ignore, however, stresses that have been building in the industry gradually over the last two or three decades and which, if they are not mitigated, will lead to a world in which airlines from the mature economies will face a return to the accident numbers - if not rates - experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. This would be a shock for the travelling public, because air travel in the developed world has become routine in people's minds, and safety has stopped being a real consideration for those who would purchase an airline ticket. Meanwhile, all the predictions for future air transport demand are for solid growth. Indeed demand for air travel today, even despite the dire economic situation in the mature Western economies, remains fairly buoyant. This continual expansion has, however, not been accompanied by industry investment in suitable specialist training for skilled personnel, either in terms of quantity or quality, creating the single biggest source of stress the system faces: a shortage of pilots, maintenance engineers and instructors for both specialisations. Combine the system stress caused by lack of expert staff with the continued pressure on airline profits caused by excess capacity, plus high oil prices, and something has to give. In the last 20 years, almost all the business, technical and operational ground rules governing commercial aviation have radically altered, forced by changes in the market, the air traffic management and navigation environment and aircraft and avionic technology. Logically, these demand a change in training - but that change has not been delivered. What has most affected the nature of pilots' work is the influence of low-cost carriers, which has brought radical change in many airlines' relationships with flightcrew. But what has most changed an airline's crew recruiting and management is the decline of the military as a provider of pilot skills. Meanwhile, there has been a loss of pilot exposure to anything other than pre-packaged flight planning, followed by automated flight on the line. When circumstances are unusual, non-standard, or not automated, a resulting lack of pilot resilience has been leading to fatal loss of control (LOC) accidents, making LOC the biggest killer accident category this century - taking over from controlled flight into terrain in the last. This fact is acknowledged by industry bodies like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO), respectively IATA's training and qualification initiative (ITQI) and ICAO's next generation aviation professionals (NGAP). So the carriers cannot say they have not been warned, but these efforts have not been translating into action at airline level. Just as a reminder, the number of fatalities caused by airline accidents in the 1980s was about 1,100 annually, whereas the numbers now are less than 800 a year despite the fact that the revenue passenger kilometres flown now are three times what they were then. The industry could revert to the bad old days, but for a different reason: now the aircraft are better, but the skills to operate them are degrading. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/in-focus-airlines-run-up-a-safety-debt- 365509/ Back to Top Co-pilot, three cabin crew grounded after testing positive on alcohol test (India) The country's aviation regulator on Monday grounded a co-pilot and three cabin crew personnel after they tested positive on a surprise pre-flight alcohol test conducted at the Mumbai airport on New Year's Eve. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), three of the cabin crew personnel benched for reporting drunk on duty are employed with Jetlite, Kingfisher Airlines and Indigo Airlines respectively. The co-pilot who tested positive during the breath analyser test is employed with Indigo. "At present, they cannot operate a flight for three months. We are going through records of previous offenders. If any of them feature in that list, their licence would be cancelled," said a DGCA official, requesting anonymity. An Indigo Airlines spokesperson confirmed that a cabin attendant and a first officer were taken off duty after they tested positive during the breath analyser tests. "We treat such matters with utmost seriousness. There can be absolutely no comprise on safety," said the spokesperson. A Jet Airways spokesperson also said that it has included pre-medical checks in their flight operation manual to control the problem. Kingfisher Airlines did not respond to HT's calls and a query sent to them by email. The DGCA had conducted similar surprise checks on December 25. However, none of 333 flight attendants and pilots tested were found to be under the influence of alcohol. Last year, the civil aviation ministry had amended rules for severe punishment for flight crew reporting drunk at work. According to the amendment, pilots caught the first time round are grounded for three months. Flying licences of second-time offenders are permanently cancelled. Since the DGCA faces a shortage of safety officers, it had also directed airlines to conduct pre- flight alcohol tests regularly last year. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Co-pilot-three-cabin-crew- grounded-after-testing-positive-on-alcohol-test/Article1-790392.aspx Back to Top Allegiant Air Plane Slides Off Runway In Youngstown, Ohio A plane operated by low-cost carrier Allegiant Air slid off the runway in Youngstown, Ohio Monday evening after departing St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport Monday afternoon. The MD-82 can hold 150 passengers but officials were uncertain how many people were on board Flight 892 Monday. There were no injuries reported in the incident, as the plane's nose gear slid off a taxiway during a wide turn. The director of aviation for Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, Dan Dickten, told the local Vindicator newspaper that icy weather could've played a role in the accident. "It was probably a combination of both [the weather] and the pilot taking a turn too wide," Dickten said. Allegiant operates low cost flights across the country, often packaging them as air-and- hotel getaways. The carrier offered passengers on Monday's flight refunds or hotel rooms for the night, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/allegiant-air-plane-slide_n_1180715.html Back to Top FAA poised to enable police departments to use UAVs domestically Companies like AeroVironment are hoping that police use of unmanned aerial vehicles will balloon when new FAA regulations are introduced next month. In January, the FAA is expected to issue new air space regulations allowing for the civilian use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Police departments are expected to be early and widespread users of the drones, but some are raising concerns about privacy. Next time you're thinking about running from the law, think about this: unmanned aerial vehicles may be coming to a police department near you. In Southern California, a company that specializes in making UAVs for the military is turning its attention to the civilian market. But don't necessarily think of big drones like the Predator of the Reaper, think of a humming bird. That's right. AeroVironment, a company in Southern California, is taking it's expertise and looking for ways to help police. Take the company's humming bird-sized drone, which can be launched for an operators' hand and immediately begin streaming back live video. From largest to smallest, the company has the Puma, the Raven, which flies for about 90 minutes and weighs 4 pounds and the Wasp, which weights about a pound and can fly for 45 minutes, said Steven Gitlin, company vice president. "They're in the field today helping our war fighters and our allies operate more effectively and safely," he said. In prototypes, though, the company has even smaller craft. One that's designed based off an Arizona humming bird weights just 19 grams - less than the weight of a AA battery. It uses flapping wings for propulsion and control. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Commander Bob Osborne and others in L.A. law enforcement have been trying to get permission to use drones for years. He took over the project from Sid Hale, now retired, who started the project. "I was in the Marine Corps reserve in Iraq and we were using them every day," Hale said. "For intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance. I thought when I got back to the United States this would be a great application for some of the things we would use in law enforcement." Osborne can see them being useful not only for surveillance, but also in chemical emergencies or during rescues. UAVs can go places where you'd never send a manned aircraft, he said. Finally, the Federal Aviation Administration is poised to give Hale and Osborne what they've been looking for. New regulations are expected to be issued in January, allowing domestic use of UAVs. But don't be so excited, says John Villasenor, an analyst for the Brookings Institute and outspoken critic of civilian police use of UAVs. "I think there are serious implications for privacy," he said. "I think we're all accustomed to a world where we're not being looked down upon from above and that's a world which is, for better or worse, vanishing. I think it raises a lot of really interesting privacy concerns." http://www.pri.org/stories/science/technology/faa-poised-to-enable-police-departments- to-use-uavs-domestically-7726.html Back to Top Saved by seconds: How an EgyptAir flight was just 37 feet from JFK's worst runway disaster An EgyptAir flight that wandered into the path of a Lufthansa airliner on the runway at JFK International airport was just 37 feet from a catastrophy that could have claimed many hundreds of lives. The incident in June was the most dangerous near-miss of the year at the New York City airport, according to a new report from the Federal Aviation Administration. The German Lufthansa flight carried 286 passengers bound for Munich. The Egyptian jetliner carried 346 passengers headed to Cairo. If they had collided, it could have been the worst commercial air disaster in history. Seconds away: This diagram shows that the Lufthansa flight was headed straight and the EgyptAir craft taxied into its path In a year-end report, the FAA faults EgyptAir pilots who taxied 37 feet onto the runway that was being used by the Lufthansa aircraft for takeoff, the New York Post reported. Air traffic controllers had instructed the Egyptian plane to turn left to another runway. Airports compete for traveller numbers .... enticing fliers with lucrative rewards of air miles, prizes and discount parking Instead, they continued straight and headed into the path of a the Lufthansa flight that was barreling down the runway on takeoff. 'Cancel takeoff! Cancel takeoff plans!' an aircraft controller yelled at the German pilots. The Lufthansa aircraft slammed on its brakes so hard that they over-heated, according to the Post. Their fault: The FAA pointed the finger at the EgyptAir pilots who did not turn onto a different runway, as they were told But in the end, the planes missed each other by seconds, FAA officials believe. The Germans were flying an Airbus A340 and the Egyptian flight was a Boeing 777. With 632 passengers and crew on the line, the death toll from such a disaster could have been even bigger than the Tenerife airport disaster on the Spanish Canary Islands in 1977. That tragedy also involved one aircraft taxiing into the path of another that was taking off. It claimed 586 lives and is the worst commercial air mishap in history. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081720/EgyptAir-flight-just-37- feet-JFKs-worst-runway-disaster.html#ixzz1iPIZQT7H Back to Top ICAO set to pursue new aviation safety initiatives in 2012 MANILA, Philippines - The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would pursue the implementation and development of new safety initiatives as it recognized the cooperation and strength of the aviation community. ICAO is working with the Safety Collaborative Assistance Networks (SCAN), the Runway Safety Program and Fatigue Risk Management Systems to identify and eliminate hazards. The organization stressed its commitment to improving aviation safety and enabling seamless cooperation and communication between stakeholders. ICAO would continue to collaborate with established regional organizations, such as Regional Aviation Safety Groups (RASGs) and Regional Safety Oversight Organizations (RSOOs), and to promote the training and support necessary to address emerging safety issues. With the renewed growth in commercial flights and the expected increases in air travel, ICAO would maintain its strong focus on initiatives that would further improve safety measures in the future. ICAO would continuously develop and refine more proactive and risk-based methods to further reduce the global accident rate, enabling the safe expansion of air travel in all regions. The number of accidents attributed to scheduled commercial flights increased in 2010 to 121, compared to 113 in 2009. This resulted in an accident rate of 4.0 per million departures, a marginal increase compared to the accident rate of 3.9 per million departures in 2009. While the overall number of fatalities in 2010 was below those in 2005 and 2006, there has been an increase in fatalities over the past three years. This trend serves as a reminder that cooperation between the various stakeholders is a key part of reducing the number of aviation accidents and related fatalities, says ICAO. The ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) continues to promote the systematic implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). As of the end of 2010, the USOAP had completed assessments of 93% of ICAO Member States, accounting for 99% of the traffic flown. ICAO also noted that the resurgence of traffic experienced in 2010 was coupled with an increase in the number of accidents, resulting in an accident rate of 4.0 per million departures - a marginal increase compared to the previous year. In partnership with the international aviation community to achieve continuous reductions in the global accident rate, ICAO would put more emphasis in improving safety performance in those regions experiencing significantly higher accident rates or having specific safety challenges. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346646/icao-set-pursue-new-aviation-safety-initiatives- 2012 Back to Top Air Safety is top priority: Minister Magar (Nepal) KATHMANDU, Dec 31: Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Lokendra Bista Magar on Saturday expressed his commitment to enhance aviation security in the country. Speaking at the 14th anniversary of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Magar said the government will use sophisticated technology to make the Nepali sky safer and provide training to the security officials at the airports to raise the standard of their service. "Air safety is our top priority and we are trying our best to maximize the security of passangers while flying," said Magar, referring to accidents recorded in 2011. A passenger flight and a Nepal Army plane crashed in 2011 in which 24 people lost their lives. Since 2005, there have been nine plane crashes in Nepal in which 90 people lost their lives. As part of new initiatives, CAAN has started implementing Safety Management System, which incorporates globally recognized security features, at the TIA, said Director General of CAAN Ram Prasad Neupane. "We are also recruiting skilled manpower, training security officials and installing new equipment to ensure better safety," he added. Moreover, a report unveiled by CAAN on the occasion claimed Tribhuvan International Aiport in 2011 witnessed 10.22 percent rise in air passenger. The growth is almost double of what International Civil Aviation Authority of Organization (ICAO) projected for the year. ICAO has projected 5.3 percent growth in air passengers worldwide and 7.9 percent in Asia Pacific region. CAAN also awarded Pokhara and Dhangadi airport as the best airport under the category of ´controlled aerodrome´ and ´uncontrolled aerodrome´ respectively. Neupane said the awards to best airports have been introduced to encourage better service delivery and safety in airports across Nepal. CAAN report further claimed the number of air passengers in Nepal grew by 3.8 percent in the first ten months of 2011 in the domestic sector. Still, the volume of air traffic (number of flights) grew by mere 1.3 percent during the period. Air traffic movement in the international sector, on the other hand, went up by 14.78 percent during the same period of 2011. http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=40244 Back to Top Malaysia Airlines prepares for an alliance POTENTIAL Qantas partner Malaysia Airlines has undergone a major management restructure as a decision approaches on whether the carriers will launch a premium carrier based in Kuala Lumpur. The new structure at Malaysia, which is also being sponsored by Qantas into the Oneworld alliance, came into effect on New Year's Day and follows the departure of several key executives from the loss-making carrier. The airline is also setting up new business units, including a network, alliance, strategy and planning business "to meet the dynamic needs of the market and to leverage on strategic alliances and partnerships with other airlines". The division will be headed by Hugh Dunleavy, a 30-year veteran who has held senior positions at Westjet, Lufthansa, Star Alliance and Air Canada. The new structure will see group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari leading the airline's long-haul business and receiving direct reports from customer experience, operations, human capital and network alliance, strategy and planning executives. Deputy group chief executive Mohammed Rashdan becomes the chief executive of short- haul operations and takes on several financial responsibilities. Other new faces include former Etihad Airways head of pricing Shihaj Kutty, who will lead Malaysia's sales and revenue management operations. The restructure comes after a business recovery plan announced earlier last month included the surprise announcement that MAS would start a regional premium carrier later this year operating Boeing 737-800s on key business routes. The aim is for the the new airline to ultimately take over all MAS domestic and regional routes, allowing it to focus on long-haul travel. But Qantas denied the MAS plan would derail a potential Kuala Lumpur-based joint venture to launch an ultra-premium airline serving medium-haul routes to Australia and within Asia using Airbus A330s. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/malaysia-airlines-prepares-for-an- alliance/story-e6frg95x-1226235971018 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC