Flight Safety Information January 10, 2012 - No. 006 In This Issue NTSB to hold air show safety hearing Pair Survives Plane Crash at Sea On Way to Charity Mission in Haiti FAA waives rules, says paid-pilots can guide whooping cranes to Florida India's Jet Airways says complies with all safety norms Balloon safety rules lacking IndiGo rebuts DGCA's allegations of lax safety norms ALAEA issues A380 safety call Air France-KLM confirms order for 25 787-9s plus 25 options FAA Commercial Space Transportation Early Bird Deadline BCSP Announces 2012 Board Directors and Officers NTSB to hold air show safety hearing Board wants to raise safety standards after multiple deaths in 2011 The safety of popular air shows and air races will come under scrutiny Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The board is holding a hearing to determine what safety improvements can be made to protect both the pilots and the spectators, and this could mean a lot for our local air shows. The fascination surrounding America's air shows is built around pilots and performers engaging in extreme risks. Those risks will be discussed Tuesday in a hearing held by the NTSB to ensure both the pilots and spectators on the ground are safe. The NTSB hearing comes just four months after 11 spectators were killed during an air race in Reno, Nevada. Another 70 people on the ground were injured by flying debris. Aerobatic Pilot Patty Wagstaff has been flying for 30 years and said she welcomes the NTSB's scrutiny, pointing to the great lengths Air show organizers go every year to protect the public. "Everything we do in air shows. From the morning brief we have every single day that we fly, to all year long, the operations bulletins, the ace program, which is every year air show pilots get evaluated once a year," Wagstaff said. Before the accident in Reno, Nevada, the last spectator fatality at an air show was back in 1951, where 20 people were killed in Flagler Colorado. Updated regulations require planes to follow a flight course that's not directly over spectators. Wagstaff said she thinks air shows are safe for families and children. "I think air shows are very safe. We had a bad year. There have a been a few accidents, and I'm sure people don't want to bring the kids out to see it. But I think it was just an anomaly," Wagstaff said. The NTSB is expected to offer suggestions that could affect every pilot. Wagstaff said, "I hope they continue to take a measured look and really see the big picture. There might be anomalies, and things happen, but the NTSB doesn't usually make a knee jerk reaction. They will do the right thing and make sure people stay safe." http://www.news4jax.com/news/NTSB-to-hold-air-show-safety-hearing/-/475880/7683362/-/4mnmnpz/-/ Back to Top Pair Survives Plane Crash at Sea On Way to Charity Mission in Haiti At sea rescue after plane crash in Bahamas A father and daughter from Alabama are continuing on with their medical mission in Haiti after surviving a harrowing plane crash off the coast of Florida while en route to the island nation. Dr. Richard McGlaughlin, 59, and his 25-year-old daughter, Elaine McGlaughlin, departed from their home near Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday for a planned stop in Miami, before continuing on to Haiti. Just one hour after the pair took off from Miami, however, trouble struck in their small plane, forcing Dr. McGlaughlin, the pilot, to send a distress signal to Coast Guard officials that their single-engine jet was going down. Quickly coming to their aid were two Coast Guard lieutenants, who happened to be on a cargo mission nearby and raced to the plane's location, just off the coast of Andros Island in the Bahamas. The Coast Guard also deployed a HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed- wing aircraft from Miami to find the McGlaughlin's airplane. Mechanical failure had caused the engine to stop, something both father and daughter could see from their perches on board the plane. "The most frightening thing for me was seeing the propeller frozen, motionless, in front of a plane that's in the air," Elaine McGlaughlin said. The McGlaughlins relied on the plane's parachute to descend into the ocean, but at a descent of about 25 miles per hour. "We hit the water hard," Dr. McGlaughlin said. "25 miles per hour is not an incidental collision. We pounded pretty good." Once the two hit the water, they faced the risk of drowning as the water in the plane rose around them. "The plane filled up with water quickly, and that was sort of scary too because the doors are all closed but it just comes in the vents, and right away you are waist-deep," said Dr. McGlaughlin. The doctor and his daughter managed to make it out onto one of the plane's wings, and then into an emergency inflatable raft stored on the plane. Minutes later, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter deployed from Clearwater by the Coast Guard began to circle overhead. Video shot by the Coast Guard shows the tail and wing of their plane sticking up out of the water, along with the plane's parachute that saved their lives. Coast Guard officials were able to hoist the two up out of the water and safely into the helicopter, with no injuries reported. The pair were then flown to Odyssey Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, where Dr. McGlaughlin's passion for his work in Haiti, devastated by earthquake two years ago, became evident. "Am I doing to do it again? As soon as I get another airplane. Yes, oh, yeah," said the doctor. McGlaughlin and his daughter departed at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning on a commercial flight to Haiti. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/pair-survive-plane-crash-at-sea-on-way-to-charity-mission-in-haiti/ Back to Top FAA waives rules, says paid-pilots can guide whooping cranes to Florida using bird-like plane WASHINGTON (AP) - The pilots of the bird-like aircraft that has been leading nine young whooping cranes to their winter home in Florida have been granted a special exemption by federal regulators to continue their journey. The Federal Aviation Administration has provided a one-time waiver to Operation Migration, a conservation organization trying to re- establish an Eastern flyway for whooping cranes by teaching young birds how to make the flight. Operation Migration ran into trouble with the FAA because it pays salaries to pilots. FAA regulations say sport planes - a category that sometimes includes aircraft of exotic design - can only be flown for personal use. "Because the operation is in 'mid-migration,' the FAA is granting a one-time exemption so the migration can be completed," the agency said in a statement. "The FAA will work with Operation Migration to develop a more comprehensive, long-term solution." FAA officials notified the conservation group's pilots in late November that the agency had opened an investigation. Just before Christmas, Operation Migration voluntarily grounded the plane and the birds in northwestern Alabama - more than half way to their destination. Joe Duff, an Operation Migration co-founder and one of the organization's pilots, said more than 1,400 people have signed an online petition asking that the flight be allowed to continue. "We're very pleased. This is probably a record for turning around a waiver," Duff said. He said he has sympathy for FAA officials, who don't want to "open the floodgates" to potentially risky uses of ultralight aircraft. "There are all kinds of things people would like to do in sports aircraft that they aren't designed to do," Duff said. Operation Migration is part of a U.S.-Canadian partnership of government and private organizations trying to re-establish migrating flocks of whooping cranes. The cranes nearly became extinct, dwindling to only 15 birds in 1941. One flyway has already been re- established, but that flock of more than 100 birds is vulnerable to extinction should a disaster strike, Duff said. Another Eastern flyway disappeared in the late 1800s when the last whooping cranes flying that route died off, he said. Since there were no birds still flying the route, conservationists have been showing young cranes how to make the journey. There were 10 cranes when the flock left Wisconsin this fall. But one young bird took a detour and was later found hanging out with a flock of migrating sandhill cranes. That youngster has already arrived in Florida. ___ Online: Operation Migration http://www.operationmigration.org/index.html ___ Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy Back to Top India's Jet Airways says complies with all safety norms MUMBAI (REUTERS) - India's Jet Airways Ltd , responding to a report by the federal aviation regulator that called into question the safety practises of the country's airlines, said on Tuesday it was in compliance with all global and domestic aviation safety norms. In a financial audit in December, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) raised concerns about the safety practises being followed by almost all Indian carriers, including Jet, the country's biggest airline by market share. The regulator's report highlighted a backlog in training of Jet's pilots and cabin crew and noted an "acute shortage of operating personnel" in the group's budget airline, JetLite. "With reference to the recently concluded financial audit carried out by the DGCA, both Jet Airways and JetLite have duly submitted 'action taken reports' in line with industry practice," Jet said in a statement. "As such Jet Airways and JetLite are in compliance with all regulatory requirements to ensure safe operation." The DGCA report said financial problems in India's cutthroat airline industry had exposed potential safety issues, and it demanded that airlines take steps to ensure that their operations remained safe. The report said Kingfisher Airlines and Air India Express, the budget carrier of state-run Air India, were in "major financial distress". The DGCA also said there was a need to review the fleet expansion plans of budget airline IndiGo in view of the serious nature of the report's findings on IndiGo's safety procedures. Unlisted IndiGo placed an order for 180 Airbus planes worth $16 billion last year. It plans to add 12 aircraft to its current fleet of 48 aircraft within a year. Shares of Jet Airways, valued at $304 million, closed up 2.72 percent at 190.50 in a firm Mumbai market. Kingfisher closed up 7.14 percent after the government said it had paid 200 million rupees ($3.8 million) in outstanding service taxes due for December, including arrears. Shares of SpiceJet, India's other listed airline, closed up 4.9 percent at 18.25 rupees. Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/India+Airways+says+complies+with+safety+norms/5972205/story.html#ixzz1j4EKvqSM Back to Top Balloon safety rules lacking The balloon which crashed in Carterton, New Zealand on Saturday, moments before it hit power lines. SAFETY guidelines for low-flying hot-air balloons in Australia are deficient and most power line incidents occur when flying conditions are good and pilots are relaxed, it has emerged. Investigators are continuing their probe into Saturday's New Zealand hot-air balloon tragedy in which the craft hit overhead wires and crashed into a field, killing 11 people. At least six agencies are examining the incident and the dead have been named by New Zealand police. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who is holidaying in Hawaii, said yesterday the findings would be carefully examined for lessons that could be learnt. A hot-air balloon accident near Perth in April last year revealed weaknesses in Australia's low-flying guidelines and procedures. Four passengers were injured when a balloon on a scenic chartered flight hit turbulence and was forced to crash-land to avoid hitting power lines near the town of Northam. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the crash, released in November, found the current framework for commercial balloonists ''generally did not provide a high level of assurance in regard to the safe conduct of low flying''. It said operational guidelines should be improved and that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority would tackle the safety concerns, which it described as ''minor''. A spokesman for the authority yesterday said it had responded by developing draft guidelines requiring commercial balloonists to implement a safety management system covering, among other aspects, low-flying procedures. The new rules will be released for public comment mid-year. The spokesman said low flying was covered in existing operation manuals but was not formalised or reviewed. Aviation figures show Australia has not suffered a hot-air ballooning fatality since October 1989, when four people were killed in two separate accidents in New South Wales, both of which involved touching power lines. Earlier that year, 13 people died after two balloons collided mid-air near Alice Springs. According to the transport bureau, about three ballooning accidents involving injuries are reported each year. Research by an experienced Australian hot-air balloonist, meanwhile, found that power lines represented the worst safety hazard for hot-air balloons around the world, and many strikes occurred when pilots were relaxed. The chief pilot and flying instructor at Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning, Steve Griffin, said most power-line incidents occurred in good weather ''when people were relaxed and the flight was going beautifully''. ''It's very important that when conditions are very benign you don't let your guard down, because that's when these types of incidents tend to happen and they happen to pilots of all levels of experience,'' he said. Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/national/balloon-safety-rules-lacking-20120108-1pq4s.html#ixzz1j4MXR4XB Back to Top IndiGo rebuts DGCA's allegations of lax safety norms Indian budget carrier IndiGo has issued a statement denying that it had flouted any safety practices, rebutting the country's civil aviation watchdog's financial audit of the airline. In a report issued last week, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Gurgaon-based carrier had carried out premature engine removals, failed to report incidents and its crew had exceeded their duty time limits. This may result in a review of the airline's plans to expand its fleet to 55 aircraft by the end of the financial year, it added. Indigo, in its rebut, said that of the 11 premature engine removals the DGCA took issue with, three were due to discrepancies found after bird strike inspections, while another was removed because of a fracture in the lug of the gearbox. "Seven of the above engine removals were in compliance with the FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD). The deadline to comply with the FAA AD is January 2013. In fact, IndiGo has proactively complied with it ahead of time," said the airline. The DGCA also noted that there were a high number of engineering snags - about 250 monthly in the first 10 months of 2011. In October alone, there were 261 snags for a fleet of 46 aircraft. However, the airline reported only two incidents to the DGCA. In its statement, IndiGo said it submits a daily defect report to DGCA's airworthiness department and thus "there is 100% reporting of all maintenance actions". The airline said it also held a meeting with DGCA officials in December where all reported defects were jointly reviewed. To reduce the number of snags, the airline will set up a committee and prepare case studies on common defects such as vent avionics fault, brake fault, door warnings and nose wheel vibration. The findings will be submitted in February. Where the regulator took issue with the 35 instances of crew exceeding their flight duty time limits, IndiGo explained that the delays were "due to unavoidable circumstances such as weather, traffic congestion and flight diversions" and the crew is given additional rest time in such instances to prevent fatigue. IndiGo said it does not have a shortage of pilots as it "consciously over-hired pilots" and currently has 50 training captains and 44 others who are in the process of being hired. "Safety is a key concern at IndiGo, and as an airline we also cooperate with the DGCA and comply with the regulator's instructions," said the airline. IndiGo operates a fleet of 47 Airbus A320s and is India's second-largest airline by market share. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ALAEA issues A380 safety call The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) has issued a warning over cracks found in the wing ribs of Airbus A380s operated by Qantas and Singapore Airlines. Speaking to local media, Steve Purvinas, secretary of ALAEA said: "We can't continue to gamble with people's lives and allow those aircraft to fly around and hope that they make it until their four-yearly inspection." Airbus said "very small cracks" have been found on some "non-critical wing rib-skin attachments on a limited number of A380 aircraft". The airframer added: "This is not a safety issue and aircraft performance is not affected. Any fix, if necessary, can be done during regular maintenance." Both carriers said the cracks posed no threat to flight safety and have been repaired. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Air France-KLM confirms order for 25 787-9s plus 25 options Air France-KLM today confirmed that it has placed a firm order for 25 Boeing 787-9s plus 25 options as part of the 110-strong widebody order signed last September, but it has yet to finalise its A350-900 agreement with Airbus. The carrier has not selected an engine for the 787s. The A350 is only offered with the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine. The first 787-9 will enter service with KLM in 2016, with Air France to operate its first 787 "at a later date", said an Air France-KLM spokesman. Air France-KLM in September revealed plans to order up to 110 A350s and 787s. The deal comprised 50 firm orders and 60 options for the two widebody types, subject to finalisation with the manufacturers. The spokesman added that "discussions are ongoing" with Airbus and Rolls-Royce over finalising the A350 deal. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top FAA Commercial Space Transportation Early Bird Deadline - One Week Away Source: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Early Bird Registration Deadline Approaching! Time is running out to receive the best possible rate on the 15th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference. This event held 15-16 February 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. will bring together the key players in the commercial space industry to discuss latest issues and developments in commercial space. The event features a dynamic mix of technical information and commercial space business and policy issues. Panel topics include: * Ranges of the Future * The Tipping Point * Minority Space Entrepreneurship * Understanding the Space Environment: What the Launch Operator Should Know About Space Weather * Integration of Public and On-Board Safety * Training for Safety * A Step Farther Out * Crew and Cargo to the ISS * Spaceport States Leadership * Legislative Trends in Commercial Space Key speakers include: * General William L. Shelton, USAF, Commander, Air Force Space Command * George C. Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, FAA * The Honorable Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation (invited) * William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, NASA Headquarters (invited) There are also many opportunities provided to expand your personal network of contacts during multiple networking activities scheduled throughout the 2-day event. You won't want to miss this event - Register Today! http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=39536 BCSP Announces 2012 Board Directors and Officers CHAMPAIGN, IL - The following BCSP Board of Directors were elected as officers on the 2012 Board and began their terms in January: Carl Heinlein, CSP, OHST, ARM, CSHM as President; Rixio Medina, CSP, CPP, CMIOSH, STS as Vice President; and David West, CSP, P.E., CHMM as Treasurer. Additionally, four new members joined the Board: Mark Friend, Ed.D, CSP; Daniel Fuqua, CSP; J. Terrence Grisim, CSP, CDS, CPSM, ARM; and Bruce Guiliani, CSP, CET, CIT. Carl Heinlein, Board President is a Senior Safety Consultant with American Contractors Insurance Group. Mr. Heinlein holds a Master's degree in Safety & Environmental Management from West Virginia University and holds the CSP as well as a number of other safety certifications. Mr. Heinlein sits on the advisory board for EHS Today, as well as the West Virginia University's Safety and Environmental Management Graduate Program Advisory Board. He is an active member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), American Industrial Hygiene Association, Associated General Contractors of America, National Safety Management Society and the National Safety Council. Mr. Heinlein achieved his OHST in 1996 and his CSP in 1997. Rixio Medina, Board Vice President is General Partner of Rixio Medina and Associates, L.P. He is a safety representative on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH). A Distinguished Alumni of Oklahoma State University, he sits on the Advisory Board of the School of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology. Mr. Medina is a member of the National Safety Council, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and the American Society of Safety Engineers. He has been a CSP since 1991 and achieved the STS certification last year. David West, Board Treasurer is a Vice President and Deputy Operation Manager with Science Applications International Corporation. Mr. West also serves as Chairman of the TechAmerica (formerly GEIA) G-48 System Safety Committee, where he worked as part of a select G-48 working group that prepared and published an ANSI-approved standard for best practices in System Safety. Recognized for his expertise in system safety, Mr. West is active as a Fellow Member of the System Safety Society. He has held the CSP since 1993. The 2012 BCSP Board of Directors includes: Margaret Carroll, CSP (Past President); Rick Cook, CSP, CHST; Jack H. Dobson, Jr., CSP; Don Eshelby, Ed.D, (Public Director); Lon Ferguson, Ed.D. CSP; Mark Friend, CSP; Daniel Fuqua, CSP; James A. Gentry (Public Director); J. Terrence Grisim, CSP; Bruce Guiliani, CSP, CET, CIT; Carl Heinlein, CSP, OHST (President); John E. Hodges, CSP; Ed Jones, CSP; Rixio Medina, CSP, STS (Vice President); Cece M. Weldon, CSP, STS; and David West, CSP (Treasurer); Thomas L. Adams, LHD, CAE, Secretary and Executive Director. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) is recognized as the leader in high-quality credentialing for safety, health, and environmental practitioners. BCSP establishes standards for and verifies competency in professional safety practice and evaluates certificants for compliance with recertification requirements. BCSP also operates paraprofessional SH&E certifications that provide additional career paths for safety practitioners. Since 1969, over 30,000 individuals have achieved the CSP, OHST, CHST, or STS credential. Currently, over 12,000 hold the CSP and 7,500 retain a paraprofessional credential. BCSP is an accredited, non-profit corporation chartered in Illinois, with headquarters in Champaign. BCSP Website Our Certifications Salary Search Engine More About BCSP Board of Certified Safety Professionals Contact: Lisa Spencer Phone: +1 217.353.3940 Email: lisa@bcsp.org Web: bcsp.org Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC