Flight Safety Information January 17, 2012 - No. 010 In This Issue Flight diverts to Fla. after 'unruly' couple seeks Champagne in first class Detroit Pistons Jet Lands Safely After Landing Gear Alarm Ethiopia Airlines rejects Lebanon report into air crash Civilian helicopter crashes in southern Afghanistan Tiger Airways flight in landing drama Helicopter, small plane operators violating safety norms: DGCA (India) Turkish air force jet and its 2 pilots are missing Airbus bests Boeing to remain world's largest jet maker with record 1,419 orders in 2011 AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference Airplane owner sues over fuel truck accident at Groton-New London Airport Flight diverts to Fla. after 'unruly' couple seeks Champagne in first class A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Costa Rica was diverted to Tampa, Fla., on Sunday evening after a couple from Germany became unruly, officials said. Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly Singley told The Associated Press Flight 414 departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 6 p.m. Sunday and landed at Tampa International Airport at 7:34 p.m. The captain made the call to land, the spokeswoman said. After the "unruly" passengers were removed, the plane went on to Costa Rica, she said. Tampa International Airport spokeswoman Janet Zink identified the passengers as Peter and Gabriele Strohmaier of Dusseldorf, Germany. She said they were seated in first class and demanding food and Champagne and refused to sit down. Zink said no charges had been filled. The FBI and Transportation Security Administration were investigating. Reached at the Tampa hotel where the couple was spending Sunday night, Gabriele Strohmaier told The Associated Press that a Delta crew member "exaggerated enormously and felt terribly insulted" after her husband raised concerns about the food and beverage service. She said her husband had asked for a glass of champagne, but was told it was all gone. She said the crew member then walked away rather than listen to his concerns. She denied that she or her husband was told to sit down and refused. "No, we were not standing," she said. Peter Strohmaier, who identified himself as a lawyer, said he "did nothing except to say I would like to have the meal and so on...all normal things." He said the Delta crew member told him she was not pleased with his attitude. "I am not prepared to accept such behavior," he said, adding that in the end he didn't get Champagne, a meal or even water. The couple had flown to the U.S. from Germany earlier in the day. Gabriele Strohmaier said the couple need to "take another airline, naturally not Delta" to get to Costa Rica.The Tampa Bay Times reported that flight 413 was on the ground for about an hour before continuing on to Costa Rica. http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/16/10166066-flight-diverts- to-fla-after-unruly-couple-seeks-champagne-in-first-class Back to Top Detroit Pistons Jet Lands Safely After Landing Gear Alarm HOUSTON - A jet for the Detroit Pistons landed safely at Houston's Hobby Airport after an alert was issued regarding the plane's landing gear. According to the Houston Airport System, there was concern over the jet's left side landing gear hydraulics. SkyFox was over the airport as the jet landed shortly before 6 p.m. Monday. Members of the Houston Fire Department planned to board the plane and look it over. Aerial views showed Pistons team logo on the jet, but it is unknown if any members of the team or its staff were on board during the scare. There were no injuries among the 44 passengers, who were allowed to exit the plane at a normal private terminal. The team is scheduled to play the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Tuesday night. Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/120116-detroit-pistons-jet- lands-safely-after-alert-2-alarm#ixzz1jibmqOxG Back to Top Ethiopia Airlines rejects Lebanon report into air crash There were no survivors after the Boeing 737-800 crashed into the sea off Beirut on 25 January 2010 Continue reading the main story (BBC) Ethiopian Airlines officials have bluntly rejected the findings of a Lebanese investigation into an air crash off Lebanon in January 2010. The Lebanese report blames pilot error for the crash of flight ET409, in which 90 people died, sources say. But Ethiopian Airlines officials say the plane exploded, which they say points to sabotage, a lightning strike or shooting down. The Lebanese report was due to be released on Tuesday. The Addis Ababa-bound flight crashed minutes after take-off from Beirut in stormy weather on 25 January 2010, with no survivors. Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi told AFP news agency it was "clear" that "there were errors on the part of the pilot and co-pilot who are entirely responsible for the plane crash". According to AFP, the Lebanese report says the pilot and co-pilot had been working non- stop for 51 days and were exhausted. Mr Aridi said the plane was sound and transcripts of the exchanges between the crew and air traffic control on takeoff had not indicated any problem. 'Biased and incomplete' Other officials say the report accuses the pilot of ignoring instructions from the control tower. Similar claims were made by Lebanese officials at the time of the crash. But Ethiopian Airlines has vigorously denied the Lebanese findings in a statement, in which it insisted the crew was rested in accordance with regulation and the pilot had made appropriate efforts to control the aircraft. "ATC [air traffic control] officers and other airlines' pilots have witnessed a ball of fire on the aircraft in the air," Desta Zeru, vice-president of flight operations for Ethiopian Airlines, said in the statement. "The aircraft disintegrated in the air due to explosion, which could have been caused by a shoot-down, sabotage or lightning strike," he said. The Lebanese report is "biased, lacking evidence, incomplete and did not present the full account of the accident", the statement quoted the airline's CEO Tewolde Gebremariam as saying. Back to Top Civilian helicopter crashes in southern Afghanistan A civilian helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan killing all three people on-board, local officials said. A spokesman for the American embassy in Kabul said: 'We can confirm that a civilian helicopter, owned by AAR Airlift, crashed in Helmand province today' Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley An investigation was under way after the aircraft reportedly crashed in flames in the Nad-i-Ali district of Helmand province on Monday. Taliban insurgents claimed to have shot down the helicopter, but Marjan Haqmal, district police chief, said the Russian-made aircraft probably went down because of a mechanical problem. The aircraft was operated by a Florida-based company called AAR Airlift, which according to its website has a contract to provide "airlift for the Department of Defence" in Afghanistan. The company has also provided aircraft to the United States military and other governments in countries across the Middle East and Africa. A statement from AAR Airlift said the helicopter was involved in an accident at 10.45am, while conducting operations for the United States Department of Defence. It said: "The company has confirmed that there were three crew member fatalities. The families of all three crew members have been contacted. The company reports that no passengers were aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident. "A recovery effort is underway and the cause of the accident is unknown." The international coalition in Afghanistan relies heavily on a fleet of privately-operated helicopters to ferry supplies and people between bases which are often difficult to reach by road because of roadside bombs. A spokesman for the American embassy in Kabul said: "We can confirm that a civilian helicopter, owned by AAR Airlift, crashed in Helmand province today." The embassy would not comment on the nationality of the casualties and AAR could not immediately be reached. Afghan and Nato troops secured the crash site as investigators attempted to determine what had happened. Taliban fighters regularly target helicopters and, though they lack sophisticated anti- aircraft weapons, have occasionally succeeded in downing aircraft with what Nato commanders call "lucky shots". Militants in August shot down a Chinook carrying American special operations forces in Wardak province, killing 30 United States personnel, a translator and seven Afghan commandos. However the insurgents also often seek to take credit for shooting down aircraft which have been forced to land by technical problems. Civilian helicopter flights have also seen heavy casualties. In July 2009 a Russian-made Mi-6 transport helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing six Ukrainian civilians on board and a week later a Mi-8 helicopter crashed after take-off from Kandahar Airfield killing 16. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9018022/Civilian- helicopter-crashes-in-southern-Afghanistan.html ********** Date: 16-JAN-2012 Time: 10:30 a.m. L Type: helicopter Operator: AAR Airlift, opf. NATO Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Nadali district near Shora area - Afghanistan Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: A foreign military helicopter crashed in flames in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Monday 16 January 2012, the provincial police chief said. All three people on board were killed. The Russian-made aircraft probably went down because of a technical malfunction. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Tiger Airways flight in landing drama A TIGER Airways flight was forced to land just after take-off at Tullamarine airport this morning when the pilot could not retract the planes landing gear. The 100 passengers on board the Brisbane bound Airbus A320 flight were delayed about two-and-a-half hours before being transferred to another aircraft. No-one was injured. Engineers were assessing the aircraft at the centre of the incident, which was expected to be back in the air tomorrow. The drama comes just months after the struggling budget carrier returned to Australian skies after being grounded for six weeks over "serious" safety concerns. Tiger spokeswoman Vanessa Regan said a "technical fault" forced the pilot to land at Melbourne Airport soon after take-off. She denied the incident was an emergency landing, but said it was a standard operating procedure. "The technical fault which caused this mornings incident had redundancy back-up systems available," she said. "Standard operating procedure was correctly followed and an uneventful landing was executed at Melbourne Airport." In an Australian first, the nations civil aviation watchdog grounded Tiger in July after what it described as "serious" safety concerns. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) moved to suspend the budget airline's services after a Tiger passenger jet flew into Avalon Airport, below the lowest safe altitude. It was the second time in a month such an incident had occurred. Tiger was also officially put on notice earlier last year over its pilot training and maintenance procedures. The technical mishap is a blow for the budget airline, which is struggling to rebuild its battered reputation among travellers and trying to recoup losses of more than $20 million following last year's grounding. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/tiger-airways-flight-in-landing- drama/story-fn7x8me2-1226246684045 Back to Top Helicopter, small plane operators violating safety norms: DGCA (India) NEW DELHI: With poll campaign in five states picking up, aviation regulator DGCA has expressed concern over safety rules being violated by helicopter and small plane operators "time and again" and directed them to strictly adhere to laid down norms and procedures. In a bid to ensure safety of VIP flying by helicopter and small aircraft charters, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has shot off letters to Chief Secretaries of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, providing them with a detailed list of do's and don'ts. Safety teams of DGCA would also soon be fanning out to these states for oversight inspections, officials said. Analysis of earlier accidents and incidents associated with small aircraft or helicopter operations have shown that "laid down instructions were violated time and again and safety was jeopardised", the DGCA said in a latest circular on flying during election time. The regulator has also asked the aircraft operators to submit election flying programmes to the regional DGCA offices, the officials said. The operators and the pilots of helicopters and planes are also being held responsible for the safe upkeep of the equipment and ensure that these should not be released if any defects, even minor, is detected, they said. The DGCA Air Safety circular, called "operation of small aircraft/helicopter - adherence to safety guidelines", outlines steps to be complied with by the district administration, the charter companies, the pilots and other stakeholders. DGCA chief E K Bharat Bhushan recently met the chiefs of all non-scheduled operators, following which these steps were taken. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/- aviation/helicopter-small-plane-operators-violating-safety-norms- dgca/articleshow/11524857.cms Back to Top Turkish air force jet and its 2 pilots are missing ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Turkish Air Force says one of its small jets is missing in the Aegean Sea. The air force says in a statement on its website that the T-37C light-attack aircraft, with two pilots aboard, went missing over the Bay of Aliaga on Monday during a training flight. It says helicopters, planes and navy ships are searching for the plane. Last year, two pilots were killed when a T-37C went down near the Aegean town of Urla. The T-37 Tweet first flew in 1955 and has become a favorite training plane around the world for being agile and responsive. The T-37 got its nickname from the high-pitched shrieking noise made by the aircraft's small jet intakes. Its production ended in 1975. Back to Top Airbus bests Boeing to remain world's largest jet maker with record 1,419 orders in 2011 HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - Airbus took in a record number of orders for new commercial aircraft last year as strong demand for its revamped single-aisle plane helped it best fierce U.S. rival Boeing Co. in the race for orders for the fourth year running. The European jet maker said Tuesday that it took in 1,419 net new orders in 2011, worth $140 billion, well above Boeing's total of 805 aircraft. That topped the previous record of 1,413 net orders recorded by Boeing in 2007. Airbus also delivered 534 aircraft last year, up from 510 a year earlier and keeping the title of world's biggest jet maker that it has held since 2003. Boeing delivered 477 aircraft in 2011. Airbus targets around 570 jet deliveries this year including about 30 of its A380 super jumbo, the world's largest commercial jet. The company has found success with its revamped single aisle jet the A320neo. It's a modified version of Airbus' existing workhorse jet, the A320, with improved engines and modified wingtips to make it allegedly 15 percent more fuel-efficient than Boeing's 737. The plane will only start delivering in 2015 but Airbus is using it now to cash in on airlines' need to reduce sky-high fuel costs and cut carbon dioxide emissions. The jet maker took in 1,226 net orders for the A320neo in 2011, including a single order for 200 of the aircraft worth $18.5 billion from Malaysian budget airline AirAsia. Airbus' top salesman John Leahy said that the jet maker expects orders for the A320neo to fall to around 650 this year, after Boeing responded with a new version of its best- selling 737 model with a new engine, which it calls the 737 max. Southwest Airlines Co. will be the first recipient of Boeing's new plane, representing the biggest firm order in the company's history by number of planes - 208 - and by list-price value, at nearly $19 billion. Leahy cautioned that competition from Boeing's revamped 737 could unseat Airbus from its leadership in the orders race this year. After a market share of new orders of 64 percent last year, "in 2012 we will be down around 50 percent or probably lower than that," Leahy told reporters at the company's annual New Year's news conference Back to Top AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference Held At The Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum Pier 86, W 46th St and 12th Ave New York, NY 10036-4103 Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities: Early bird registration closes January 31, 2012 Click here to register Student, Government and Military registration discounts Click here Sponsorship opportunities Click here Investigating the Causes, Resolving the Claims CLE ACCREDITATIONS APPLIED FOR. AViCON is set to return to New York April 25 of 2012. This highly successful case study format is gathering reputation and recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. "I found the material presented very interesting and realistic, the location very appropriate, the speakers very engaging and professional, andthe entire experience very much worth my time. I look forward to seeing you at another AViCON and /or industry event." -- Lorenzo Berenguer, VP Global Claims Management, XL Services Switzerland AG AViCON will be of interest to anyone involved in aviation insurance - underwriters, claims managers, lawyers, risk managers, insurance brokers, airline flight safety directors, airline board members with flight safety responsibility, claims investigators, and aircraft product manufacturers. Taking just one day, the 2012 conference is based on a reconstruction of a fictional air disaster when a passenger aircraft crashes off the runway in bad weather. Causation is far from clear, and a number of parties may have contributed to the accident. The conference will show how such a disaster may be investigated and managed; it then goes on to illustrate the complex legal issues involved and the strategies that may be employed in settling the claims. Previous AViCON events have attracted well respected speakers and delegates from the legal profession and insurance market. Speakers have included aviation professionals, law partners, and associates from: Alimonti Law Offices Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Blank Rome Bryan Cave Clyde & Co. Condon Forsyth Cozen O'Connor Cranfield University DLA Piper Gates & Partners Ince & Co Kenyon International Emergency Services Podhurst Orseck Xchanging AViCON 2012 will follow the same configuration, whereby the speakers and delegates move along the timeline of an accident investigation, to legal discovery, multi-party litigation, and resolution. Previous AViCON events have addressed scenarios for a new entrant airline, and buying a new technology airframe that suffers a survivable failure to an engine. This year's scenario revolves around a failure that subsequently results in multiple fatalities due to a range of issues, including: * Organizational Failures * Crew Competence * Possible Bogus Parts * Defective Warning Systems All are set within an environment that includes many possible choices of forum and law. The 2012 accident scenario will be presented with state-of-the-art animation prepared by RTI's Magic Motion Studios, and will highlight a fresh set of complex issues of current concern and debate within the aviation market. This event presents a unique opportunity for all those concerned with safety in aviation to gain a fuller understanding of the entire range of complexities involved in an aviation accident, in a concise and effective format. After viewing the state-of-the-art animation, experts in disaster management and accident investigation will lead the audience through the technical aspects of crisis management and the process and protocols of a formal investigation. The circumstances shown in the video lead to potential liability for a number of parties, including the airline, the aircraft manufacturer, and the maintenance contractor. A group of leading lawyers will debate the issues that arise, including: forum selection, punitive damages, fee considerations, evaluating claims, negligent entrustment, discovery, spoliation, dispute resolution, quantum of damages, and relationship with insurers. If you or your firm has an interest in becoming an event sponsor, please visit our Sponsorship page for more information. For more information about RTI: www.rtiforensics.com For more information about AViCON 2012: www.rtiavicon.com Back to Top Airplane owner sues over fuel truck accident at Groton-New London Airport A New York city attorney has sued a Groton aviation company and its owner for $1.5 million after his turboprop plane was rammed by a fuel truck at the Groton-New London Airport last summer. George J. Sampas flew his 2006 Socata TBM turboprop to the Groton airport on Aug. 9, 2011, to be repaired by Lanmar Aviation, an aeronautical company known as a fixed- base operator (FBO) that provides services such as fueling, hangar space and aircraft maintenance. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Lanmar employees completed the minor repair and parked the plane on the ramp in front of the FBO's maintenance hangar. A Lanmar fuel truck backed into the plane, knocking it off the chocks that had been placed against the tires to prevent it from moving and causing damage to the turboprop's tail and fuselage, according to the lawsuit. Sampas, under the corporate name Star Child LLC, has sued Lanmar Aviation and owner/president Richard A. Polidori for failing to prevent the accident. In the lawsuit, Star Child claims Lanmar and Polidori neglected to maintain standard operating and safety procedures and that the company's claim of high safety standards in its advertising is misleading. The accident could have been easily avoided by using a two-person crew to back up the fuel truck, Sampas said in a phone interview Monday. He said that since the accident, Lanmar has brought in a new manager. "The fact that they didn't have adequate safety procedures in place is irresponsible," Sampas said. "They advertise themselves as being a safe FBO." The plane has been trucked to its manufacturer in Florida for repairs and an insurance claim has been opened in the case. Sampas said he bought the plane in 2009 and used it mostly for pleasure trips with his family. He said he used the plane to transport doctors and supplies to Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake. Sampas said Polidori has not apologized for the accident and won't take his phone calls. Sampas said he does not intend to use the plane again to transport his family and thinks it would be difficult to sell. He would like Lanmar to purchase the plane for the its pre- accident value or fully compensate him for the repairs, his loss of use and the plane's diminished value. The repairs are estimated at $400,000, according to the lawsuit. Sampas is seeking $20,000 a month for loss of use of the plane and says its value has been diminished by approximately $690,000 as a result of the accident. Polidori, of Old Saybrook and Boca Raton, Fla., could not be reached for comment Monday. His attorney, Steven E. Arnold of the West Hartford firm Stanger & Arnold, declined to comment but pointed to documents he has filed in response to the lawsuit. In a motion to dismiss the claims against Polidori, Arnold wrote that Lanmar, through its insurance company, has acknowledged the company's responsibility to compensate Sampas for recoverable damages and that Lanmar has adequate insurance coverage. The defendant's motion claims that Sampas cannot sue Polidori individually and that he is attempting to "pierce Lanmar's corporate veil in order to acquire Connecticut long arm jurisdiction over Polidori and make him personally liable" for the damages. http://www.theday.com/article/20120117/NWS02/301179934/-1/NWS Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC