Flight Safety Information January 9, 2012 - No. 005 In This Issue BA jet makes emergency landing at Heathrow Pilots warned on fuel safety (Australia) Hot air balloon crashes killing all on board (New Zealand) Air safety: Demuren assures passengers of zero accident rates (Nigeria) U.S. Business Aircraft Safety Record Declines In 2011 Man charged after laser pen shone at police helicopter AA flight emergency landing in El Paso, oil light Seven injured as Qantas A380 flight hits turbulence FAA renews JDA Aviation Certification Consultant Agreement Kalitta 747 crash crew battled dual-engine failure on take-off 2nd Annual USCAS...US Corporate Aviation Summit Merpati Nusantara's MA60 skids off runway in Indonesia Hong Kong Airlines confirms order for 10 A380s BA jet makes emergency landing at Heathrow A British Airways jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow after both pilots suddenly felt light-headed - and had to be fitted with oxygen masks to guide the plane to the ground. The Captain and first officer both reported feeling unwell as the aircraft, which had taken off from Heathrow, was climbing at 20,000 feet. Passengers heard a "panicked" captain call for a senior member of the cabin crew to come to their aid. They were then supplied with oxygen masks as they continued the flight and requested an emergency return to Heathrow. The plane, an Airbus A321, landed safely but when paramedics arrived the pilots both said they had felt as though they were about to pass out. The incident, which is now being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, was also reported by a passenger on the flight on a professional pilots website. The passenger described how the captain of the flight, from London to Glasgow last month, sounded "panicked" and how cabin attendants looked "worried" at the turn of events. He said: " I was on the London to Glasgow flight yesterday, departed Heathrow at 4pm ish got airborne, at approx 20 mins into flight a very abrupt and panicked message came over the PA from the pilot. "' Senior flight attendant to the flight deck", At this point there were defined worried faces across all of attendants, next thing was an o2 cylinder and mask taken forward and we were heading back to Heathrow at great speed. "No announcement for a long time then the expected technical problem line was posted to all. "We landed no problem but were met by a full fire service turn out, including local authority fire service and engineers etc etc. "Still being fed the tech fault line but the first on board were paramedics? "It later transpires that both pilots became lightheaded/dizzy/unwell at the same time, in my book that's serious" Air accident investigators will now be examining what caused the pilots to become ill at the same time during the flight. Last a spokesman for BA confirmed that both pilots had become "unwell" and followed procedures by donning oxygen masks and returning to Heathrow. In a statement BA said: "The pilots reported feeling light headed so, as a precaution and following normal procedure, put on their oxygen masks. "Our pilots are highly trained to deal with such circumstances. The aircraft landed safely and customers continued their journey after a short delay." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9000647/BA-jet-makes-emergency-landing-at-Heathrow.html Back to Top Pilots warned on fuel safety (Australia) PILOTS need to be more rigorous in checking how much fuel their aircraft has before take-off and how much it uses inflight, the transport safety watchdog says. Poor management of fuel in operating some aircraft continues to pose a serious risk they will run out of fuel before they land, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says. An average of 21 incidents involving fuel mismanagement have been reported each year over the past 10 years. However, the bureau says the actual number is probably higher because not all involve power cutting out. Its report on fuel mismanagement incidents, released yesterday, found they were most likely to happen in private or charter flight operations, which normally run with the minimum fuel required. In the decade from 2001 to 2010, there were 10 deaths and 18 serious injuries in crashes resulting from fuel starvation, which occurs when there is enough fuel to finish the flight but the supply to the engine is interrupted. Fuel exhaustion occurs when the aircraft runs out of fuel before reaching its destination. While 82 per cent of fuel exhaustion incidents resulted in forced or precautionary landings, no one was hurt or killed. AAP Back to Top Hot air balloon crashes killing all on board (New Zealand) New Zealand Eleven people in a hot air balloon were killed when their aircraft hit power lines, burst into flames and crashed near Wellington in New Zealand. The balloon went down near the small rural town of Carterton, 150 kilometres north of Wellington, on the country's north island. Those on board included five couples and the pilot. New Zealand police say it appears one of those couples jumped from the basket before it hit the ground, and their bodies were found about 200 metres from the crash site. The victims are yet to be formally identified, and police say the bodies are badly burnt. Investigators have five eye witnesses, three of whom work for the company that owns the balloon, the Early Morning Balloon Company, which is based in Carterton. "It appears a fire has ignited on board, causing the hot air balloon to crash in farmland. Sadly, the pilot and 10 passengers onboard have not survived," Wellington district police commander Mike Rusbatch said. "This is an absolutely tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families of the deceased." Radio New Zealand reporter Hugh Barlow says he spoke to a cyclist who saw the crash happen from a distance. "He knew the balloon, he had been up with his own family and he feels he probably knows who the pilot is," he said. "He said he looked up and saw flames licking up the side of the big wicker basket. He immediately ran to the first house he could find and rang 111. "When he came out, he said there was about 10 metres of flames trailing and the balloon was descending very quickly. He said he saw it disappear down to ground level." Local resident Don Cunningham was walking his dog in the area when he realised the balloon was in trouble. "I could then hear the burning but I couldn't see the balloon, so I was looking for the balloon and I could just see the top of it descending," he said. "I thought nothing of it but then I heard some screaming and shouting and saw a large plume of black smoke." Mr Cunningham says the balloon came down in farmland. "The guy who flies the balloon, if it was the normal guy, he's incredibly experienced," he said. "I've lived here nearly three years and he would fly on average twice a week even during the winter." 'Colossal speed' David McKinlay was watering his garden when he looked up and saw the balloon in flames. He says it was clear no-one would survive. "Couldn't believe what I was seeing - there were flames leaping up the side of the basket towards the guy ropes of the balloon," he said. "I dropped the hose, ran inside and dialled 111, and eventually by the time I got back the thing had completely disintegrated. "I don't know what height it was but it was coming down at a colossal speed." Jill Stringer from the local area health board says the weather conditions were fine. "It was a perfect morning for ballooning this morning," she said. "Our balloon pilots have such a fantastic safety record and this is just such a bizarre happening." Ms Stringer says the terrain around Carterton is perfect for ballooning. "That's why it's a bit of a centre for ballooning. It's flat and at this time of the morning ... there's minimal breezes and it was a lovely still morning," she said. There are reports that the balloon is owned by the director of Ballooning New Zealand, Lance Hopping. The Department of Foreign Affairs is trying to confirm if any Australians were on board. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-07/hot-air-balloon-crashes-killing-all-on-board/3762144/?site=melbourne Back to Top Air safety: Demuren assures passengers of zero accident rates (Nigeria) Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren has assured air travellers of zero accident in the aviation industry in 2012. Speaking to aviation correspondents during an interactive session at the NCAA's headquarters in Lagos, Dr. Demuren stressed that the sector has witnessed a period of zero accident, zero fatality in the last five years adding that the agency will not rest on its oars It will be recalled that the last major commercial air accident that rocked the country and the aviation industry which claimed about one hundred and eighteen lives was the fatal crash of ADC airline on October 29, 2006 which took off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Lagos. The Flight 53, Boeing 737 series crashed immediately after the aircraft took off in Abuja at noon. "We have marked five years with no major schedule operation accident. We must keep it that way, our goal remains zero accident, zero fatality, let's work towards that," Demuren said. He further noted that the safety level in the industry has greatly improved due to the enforcement of safety regulations by the agency, adding that NCAA would continue to enforce compliance to its regulations not minding whose ox is gored. He said: "The thing is that we want to ensure strict compliance to safety regulations and I think that is our number one major target. We will make sure that enforcement, compliance to enforcement will continue to be our watch word." On the issuance of Airline Operators Certificate (AOC) to airline operators, Dr. Demuren said that NCAA have put in place a strict requirement procedure before giving out the AOC noting that an airline could not carry passengers in public transport category unless they do the right thing first. "We will not allow this and we mean business about this, they must comply with those requirements. We have achieved a lot over these five years both in aviation safety and security," Demuren stressed. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/air-safety-demuren-assures-passengers-of-zero-accident-rates/ Back to Top U.S. Business Aircraft Safety Record Declines In 2011 U.S. fixed-wing business aircraft operators posted a slightly worse safety record in 2011, with the increase in accidents appearing to exceed the slight increase in operations, according to the latest information released by safety expert Robert E. Breiling Associates. At the same time, however, accidents involving U.S. twin-turbine helicopter operations were less than half the number in 2010. U.S.-registered business jets and turboprop operations combined for 57 accidents - 13 of which were fatal - in 2011. This is up from the 48 accidents (including seven fatal) in 2010. The accidents climbed as flight operations have been up in 2011. FAA's latest statistics show business aircraft flight operations have increased 3.95% from December 2010-November 2011 over the same time period a year earlier. The number of accidents involving business jets climbed from 10 in 2010 to 13 last year. Part 135 operations accounted for seven of the accidents, while five of the accidents were corporate flown, and one was a private or business (nonprofessionally flown) operation, Breiling says. But, while there was a single fatal business jet accident in 2010, there were none in 2011. The Breiling report does not include the April 2011 fatal crash of a Gulfstream G650 since it was an experimental flight rather than a business operation. Turboprop Accidents Up The business turboprop fleet, meanwhile, was involved in 44 accidents, compared with 38 in 2010. The number of fatal business turboprop accidents more than doubled from six in 2010 to 13 last year. Nonprofessionally flown turboprop operations accounted for half of the fleet accidents - 22. Part 135 operations were involved in 15 turboprop accidents, and five were corporate operations. Three Socata TBM-700s flown nonprofessionally were involved in fatal accidents that resulted in seven fatalities. Other fatal business aircraft accidents involved a Piper PA-46, Cessna 441, Cessna 206, two de Havilland DHC-6s, a DHC-3, a Grumman Turboprop Goose and an AC-690 Commander. For business helicopter operations, however, the safety record improved. U.S. twin-turbine helicopters were involved in five accidents, none of which were fatal, in 2011. This compares with 12 accidents, including four that were fatal, in 2010. U.S. single-turbine helicopters in 2011 matched the number of accidents in 2010 - 48. But the number of fatal accidents declined from 11 last year to nine. The twin-turbine helicopter accidents were distributed among external load, emergency medical, training, corporate/executive and charter operations (one apiece). In the single-helicopter market, emergency medical services (EMS) improved, going from eight accidents in 2010 to two last year. Likewise, EMS fatal accidents dropped from five in 2010 to two last year. However, accidents increased for single-turboprops involved in offshore, training, private, public and sightseeing operations. Robert E. Breiling Associates is compiling a detailed review of accident information. That review is expected to be completed shortly. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=bca&id=news/bav/2012/01/09/09.xml&headline=U.S.%20Business%20Aircraft%20Safety%20Record%20Declines%20In%202011 Back to Top Man charged after laser pen shone at police helicopter The police helicopter is able to pinpoint where a laser is fired from Helicopter laser incident charge (BBC) An 18-year-old man has been charged after a laser pen was shone at the West Midlands Police helicopter. The man, from Wolverhampton, is accused of recklessly acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft or person in an aircraft. He has been bailed to appear before magistrates in Wolverhampton on 18 January. "Laser pen attacks on the force helicopter are taken extremely seriously," a police spokesperson said. "The aircraft has sophisticated technology that can accurately pinpoint anyone shining a laser pen into the sky so offenders can expect police patrols to be upon them very quickly." The crew reported that laser light was shone at them as they were on their way to an incident in Wolverhampton just before 19:00 GMT on Sunday. They radioed its position to officers on the ground and a man was arrested. Back to Top AA flight emergency landing in El Paso, oil light EL PASO, TX -- An American Airlines jet bound from Mexico to North Texas has made an emergency landing in El Paso with possible oil-related engine trouble. A spokesman for Fort Worth-based American says nobody was hurt during the unscheduled landing Sunday night of Flight 864 from Cabo San Lucas. Tim Smith says the 140 passengers were put on another jet and continued their flight early Monday to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Smith the engine on the right side of the original plane was shut down, as a precaution, when a light indicated a low oil level. He says the MD-80 has been taken out of service for examination. http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/state&id=8495564 Back to Top Seven injured as Qantas A380 flight hits turbulence Seven passengers were injured and four needed treatment in hospital after a Qantas A380 flight from London to Singapore was rattled by strong turbulence. The Qantas A380 hit turbulence three hours from Singapore The Airbus superjumbo, flight QF32, which was carrying 450 people, was three hours from Singapore when it hit a storm over Indian airspace early on Saturday and encountered "severe turbulence", a Qantas spokesman said. "Seven passengers were impacted, four of them were taken to hospital on arrival in Singapore. They've all since been discharged and cleared to fly," she said. They mostly suffered bruising and had been out of their seats when the air pocket hit, she added. "The seat belt sign had come on but some passengers were still moving back to their seats." The incident extended a run of misfortune for Qantas's A380 fleet. One of the airline's double-decker planes suffered a mid-air engine explosion after take-off from Singapore in November 2010. The plane landed safely. The same Qantas plane was last week announced to be one of several A380s in operation by airlines to have had small cracks on their wings. Both Airbus and the carriers said there was no safety issue. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9001082/Seven-injured-as-Qantas-A380-flight-hits-turbulence.html Back to Top FAA renews JDA Aviation Certification Consultant Agreement The Federal Aviation Administration has renewed its Part 121 Certification Consultant Agreement with Bethesda, MD-based JDA Aviation Technology Solutions, extending through December 2013 its recognition of JDA as a firm qualified to help new entrant carriers obtain Part 121 certification. JDA received its initial Part 121 Consultant Agreement from FAA in October 2005. As part of the Certification Consultant Agreement renewal process, JDA was required to document its SMS training qualifications and SMS implementation methodology for assisting new Part 121 operators develop and employ SMS as part of their certificate program. "We had to undergo demanding training and over the years continuous scrutiny by FAA to earn and maintain our initial certification as a qualified consultant, To have that certification extended is certainly acknowledgement about the high quality of our team of seasoned experts and the successful results of our projects," said JDA President and CEO Joe Del Balzo. In addition to its team of highly experienced personnel, JDA uses a rigorous proprietary procedure, CertAssure™, to guide applicants through the certification process. By following the CertAssure™ process, both the carrier seeking Part 121 certification and the agency are assured that all aspects of the certification process have been met. CertAssure™ helps carriers expedite the process while maintaining high quality and cost effectiveness throughout the certification effort. The CertAssure™ process is also used by JDA to help existing air carriers implement FAA Air Transport Oversight System (ATOS) and Safety Management Systems (SMS) programs. http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=9461 Back to Top Kalitta 747 crash crew battled dual-engine failure on take-off Loss of power in two engines during initial climb, and a resulting near-stall, led to the fatal crash of a Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200F moments after departure from the Colombian capital Bogota. Although the four Pratt & Whitney engines had functioned normally during the take-off roll from Runway 31R, the outboard right-hand powerplant suffered a persistent surge on rotation. As the freighter became airborne it struggled to achieve a stable climb. The crew did not keep the airspeed above the threshold for an engine-out ascent and the stick-shaker activated, warning of a stall risk and prompting the pilot to reduce the angle of attack. Although the airspeed rose, the 747 also lost height and was flying just 400ft above the ground. An attempt to increase pitch generated a second stick-shaker warning, and the pilot responded by pushing the throttles forward to maximise thrust in a bid to gain airspeed and altitude. But about 20s later the other outboard engine, on the left wing, also lost power after a failure in the low-pressure turbine, which led the powerplant to shed parts. The precise reason for the disintegration could not be determined, said Colombia's Grupo de Investigacion de Accidentes in its final report into the 7 July 2008 accident. But it stated that the failure began in the third stage of the turbine, and probably involved the loss of guide vanes or section of air seal. With two engines malfunctioning, the aircraft was unable to sustain flight in its configuration. It began to experience problems with a third engine, the inboard left-hand JT9D, which repeatedly surged. The remaining engine functioned normally. The aircraft came down northwest of the airport, at Madrid, Cundinamarca, and was completely destroyed on impact. Two people on the ground were killed but, remarkably, the 747's eight occupants survived. Investigators have battled to explain not only the double engine failure but also the subsequent poor flight performance of the aircraft. Simulation and analysis showed the 747-200F's expected climb capability with two engines inoperative should have been better than that demonstrated by the ill-fated jet. The simulated flights indicated a 200ft/min better climb rate over the space of 3min. Even though analysts examined various weight, balance and operational scenarios, the inquiry report said: "The reasons for the performance degradation of the crashed aircraft could not be clearly determined from the available data." Inspection of the outboard right-hand engine, the first to show signs of problems, revealed no abnormal pre-impact wear or damage. But the inquiry report said the engine, installed six months before the crash, was not operating efficiently because of such factors as "excessive" blade-tip clearance and Bogota airport's high altitude. It put the net loss at 5.8%. Colombian investigators also found "discrepancies" between the aircraft's maintenance records and manufacturers' maintenance manuals which "may have affected the engine performance". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Merpati Nusantara's MA60 skids off runway in Indonesia A Merpati Nusantara aircraft skidded off the runway at Haji Asan airport in Sampit, central Kalimantan on 7 January. The aircraft, a Xian MA60, had just landed and was taxiing to the apron when the incident happened, said the airline's spokesman. "The aircraft's left main wheel got stuck in the mud due to the poor soil condition," he added. The aircraft, which departed from Surabaya, had 56 passengers on board. No one was injured. The aircraft, however, has not been removed from the incident spot, forcing flights to be diverted from the airport. "The airport does not have the appropriate equipment required to move the aircraft without causing further damage," said the spokesman. A team from the National Committee for Transportation Safety is expected to investigate the incident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Press Release Industry Leading Safety Standard Incorporates Provisions for Helicopter Operators 14 December 2011 - Four industry operator organizations today announced completion of a comprehensive amendment to the business aviation leading safety code of practice - the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) - to incorporate changes that will facilitate implementation of the safety standard by helicopter operators. Work commenced in June 2010 when representatives of the European Helicopter Association (EHA), British Helicopter Association (BHA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) signed an Agreement to amend the safety standard to make it readily available to the helicopter community though the helicopter associations. Matt Zuccaro, HAI President, stated that "the amended safety standard means thathelicopteroperators will be able to use an internationally accepted standard to promote safe operations and compare their Policies and Procedures to a collection of "best practices" developed by their peers in the industry." IS-BAO has become the global leader in safety standards for the business aviation operator community. It is a set of performance-based standards that uses a safety management system as its cornerstone, addressing operations, maintenance, training and other related issues. The standards also provide linkages to regulations, standards and recommended practices specified by States and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) introduced the IS-BAO in 2002, following a two year development process which included input from over 100 operators' best practices. Its aim is to foster standardized, safe and highly professional aircraft operations. Since its launch, over 1,500 copies have been put in circulation and over 550 operators have obtained a Certificate of Registration verifying implementation. A Task Force under the leadership of Bob Sheffield (Shell Aircraft), Stan Rose (HAI) and Ray Rohr (IBAC), with specialty representation from around the world, including the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHST), reviewed the extensive material before recommending a set of changes. The Project Steering Committee comprised of representatives of BHA, EHA, HAI and IBAC then proposed acceptance by the IS-BAO Standards Board, the responsible group of operator representatives with authority over the standards content. The Standards Board approved the amendment of the standards at its meeting of 9 October 2011, and directed the IS-BAO team to update the many related documents, including the Audit Procedures Manual. IBAC's Director General, Donald Spruston advised that "today marks completion of the integration of helicopter provisions into the IS-BAO, another milestone in innovative industry action to continuously improve operational safety." Vittorio Morassi of the European Helicopter Association advised that "we are deeply grateful to those whom, with great professionalism and personal commitment, have made available to the Operators such a powerful tool aimed at improving Company organisation and making possible a significant improvement in safety. Furthermore, once registration is achieved, operators should also enjoy reduced costs and be able to use their demonstrated commitment to safety as a marketing tool." "It is vital we reach out to our small and medium size companies if we are to deliver the reduction in rotorcraft accidents we all seek under the leadership of the IHST" said Brian Humphries, Chairman of the British Helicopter Association. "The tailored application of IS-BAO to helicopters is in our view the best way of doing this", continued Humphries, "and we warmly welcome this very important development."' IS-BAO annual amendments take effect on the first day of each year. The helicopter provisions will be available in the January 2012 edition of IS-BAO. Copies of the safety standard can be purchased from any of the IBAC Member Associations or from the partnering helicopter Associations. To download an order form go to - http://www.ibac.org/is_bao/ordering-is-bao ======================= Back to Top Hong Kong Airlines confirms order for 10 A380s Hong Kong Airlines has confirmed an order for 10 Airbus A380 aircraft at a list price of $3.8 billion. The airline signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus for the aircraft at the Paris Air Show in June 2011, but the deal was only confirmed last month, said a spokeswoman. With the new aircraft, due to be delivered from 2015, the carrier will introduce long-haul services to destinations including Paris, London and Sydney, she added. Airbus said at the Paris Air Show it signed a tentative agreement for 10 A380s with an undisclosed customer. Industry sources told Flightglobal Pro in November 2011 that Hong Kong Airlines was discussing with Airbus to take over the A380 slots that were previously filled by Australia's Qantas Airways. Qantas has deferred the delivery of six A380s, which it was due to receive in 2014. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC