Flight Safety Information February 13, 2012 - No. 031 In This Issue Brazil jet makes forced stop after pilot attack US Airways jet makes emergency landing in NC Official says a private jet crash in Congo kills 2 NTSB Chair Lauds HAI Members for Their Safety Initiatives ARGUS PROS Global Auditing IS-BAO Safety Code Rewritten for Helicopter Operators Safety board chairwoman lauds Eurocopter for installing data recorders Helicopters' Versatility Stands Out at 2012 Heli-Expo Brazil jet makes forced stop after pilot attack A Brazilian airliner safely made a forced landing after a passenger had a "psychotic attack,'' entered the cockpit and assaulted a pilot, crew members and passengers who tried to subdue him, witnesses said. The TAM Airlines jet was en route from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Sao Paulo when a man who some passengers said was wearing a TAM identification badge got into the cockpit because the door was open. Shortly after, the plane dove to the right, causing passengers to scream and the pilot to yell for help over the speaker system. "All of a sudden shouts were heard from inside the cabin, and two stewardesses came out asking for help and grabbing a young man by his feet,'' one unidentified passenger told Uruguay's El Pais newspaper. "The people quickly jumped on top of him, the guy fought back furiously, biting and hurting a half dozen people. "In a kind of collective action they were able to immobilize him, tying him to a seat.'' Uruguay's Industry Minister Roberto Kreimerman was on board the Saturday afternoon flight, leading a trade delegation that was on its way to China. He told Uruguayan newspaper El Observador that when the plane veered sharply, passengers started screaming and fearing for their lives. The jet safely landed at the Porto Alegre airport in southern Brazil about 20 minutes after the incident with the man subdued in the rear of the plane, a police spokesman said Sunday. The suspect was arrested by federal police and taken to a mental care facility. TAM confirmed the incident in a brief emailed statement, but offered few details. Flight 8047 "landed at the Porto Alegre airport because of an uproar on board. ... The incident is being investigated by authorities, with the collaboration of the company,'' the statement read. An airline spokeswoman in Sao Paulo would not confirm if the cockpit was breached nor if the attacker was a TAM employee, as passengers told newspapers in Brazil and Uruguay. "It seemed as if we were in a movie about the 9/11 attacks,'' passenger Matias Velazco, a former journalist for El Observador, told the newspaper. He said it took about 10 minutes for crew members and passengers to subdue the man. "Four of them tried to hold him down and they couldn't. One tried to give him an injection to sedate him, another hit him and still they couldn't control him,'' Velazco said. The suspect was eventually tied up with plastic handcuffs, taken to the rear of the plane and pinned into a back seat. The unidentified passenger who spoke to the El Pais newspaper said that "the man injured various passengers, biting them and hitting them. Luckily that was the worst that happened, but it could have been a tragedy.'' Federal police inspector Luiz Daiello told Porto Alegre's Zero Hora newspaper the suspect had "suffered a psychotic attack'' while on board. The man calmed down as the plane was landing. But Daiello said once federal police tried to take the man into custody, he became violent, and had to be subdued with a stun gun before being taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-12/news/31052806_1_crew-members-and- passengers-plane-landing Back to Top US Airways jet makes emergency landing in NC CHARLOTTE, N.C.(AP) -- A US Airways passenger jet traveling from Charlotte to Charleston, W.Va., has had to turn around and make an emergency landing. The Charlotte Observer reports that an airline spokeswoman says the crew heard a "loud and unsettling noise" shortly after the plane departed at around 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday. As a precaution, the plane turned around and landed at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport about an hour after it left. The 44 passengers were then put on different flights. It was unclear what caused the noise and the airline was investigating. Back to Top Official says a private jet crash in Congo kills 2, including a senior presidential adviser KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - A senior presidential adviser was among two killed after a private jet crashed while landing in Congo's eastern city of Bukavu, a transport minister said Sunday. "We've extracted two bodies from the plane, that of the honorable Augustin Katumba Mwanke who has just been moved to the morgue, and that of a co-pilot," said Provincial Transport Minister Laban Kyalangalilwa. He said there were 2 pilots and 10 passengers on the private jet. South Kivu Governor Marcellin Cishambo has been admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment, and most of the other passengers were taken from the plane alive, Kyalangalilwa said. "We do not know the cause of the crash and we await the investigations, but apparently there was not bad weather here in Bukavu," he said. Congo has one of the worst air safety records in the world. The Central African country's safety regulations are notoriously lax. Few passable roads traverse the country after decades of war, forcing the population to rely on ill-maintained planes and boats. In July, a Hewa Bora plane crashed in a thunderstorm as it was attempting to land at the Kisangani airport in eastern Congo, killing 85 people. In 2008 a DC-9 owned by the same company rammed into a market, killing at least 40 people. A few months later, one of its planes went down, killing 17. *********** Status: Preliminary Date: 30 JAN 2012 Time: ca 08:45 Type: Antonov 28 Operator: TRACEP-Congo Aviation Registration: 9Q-CUN ? C/n / msn: 1AJ006-11 First flight: 1989 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 Total: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 5 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 10 km (6.3 mls) from Namoya (Congo (Democratic Republic)) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Bukavu-Kamenbe Airport (BKY) (BKY/FZMA), Congo (Democratic Republic) Destination airport: Namoya Airstrip, Congo (Democratic Republic) Narrative: An Antonov 28 airplane was destroyed in an accident near Namoya, D.R. Congo. Two of the five occupants survived the accident The airplane departed Bukavu (BKY) at 07:45 on a domestic flight to Namoya. The plane failed to arrive and a search was initiated. The crew of another aircraft found what looked like the debris of the Antonov in a forest. A government spokesman could not confirm whether any had survived, but said that it was unlikely given the degree of debris at the crash site. Namoya is located in a gold mining area in Maniema Province. Unconfirmed reports indicate that 9Q-CUN was involved in the accident. The manufacturer reported that the airworthiness of this aircraft (msn 1AJ006-11) had expired on June 12, 1993. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top NTSB Chair Lauds HAI Members for Their Safety Initiatives NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman was the keynote speaker at today's HAI Membership breakfast and meeting here at Heli-Expo 2011. NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman, keynote speaker at today's HAI Membership breakfast and meeting here at Heli-Expo 2011, praised HAI for its creation of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and its new Safety Accreditation Program. And she also challenged the HAI membership to continue its efforts to promote Safety Management Systems (SMS) through IHST's SMS Toolkit. Hersman brought with her, and publicly recognized, six members of the NTSB team, including senior air safety investigator Clint Johnson and air safety investigators Leah Yeager, Dennis Hogensen and Van McKinney; NTSB board member Mark Rosekind; and deputy director for aviation safety Sandy Rowlett. When asked, later why she chose to bring so many NTSB staff to the HAI show, she replied, "I think HAI Heli-Expo is incredibly important to the industry. The NTSB spends a lot of time investigating accidents, but really half of that is letting people know about what we do and what we've found so that we can prevent those accidents from happening again." Continuing, Hersman said, "Through our NTSB accident investigations we can tell the industry what we've found or what we've seen. Whether it is a mechanical or maintenance issue or even a human factors issue, there is a lot of learning that goes on." But she said that the industry "can't prevent the next accident unless we learn from the ones we are studying" and "it is the operators, more than anyone, who want to have a safe business, a safe system. And it is great for us to interact with them at shows such as Heli-Expo 2012." When asked about NTSB's contributions to IHST efforts, she was quick to clarify, "You know we do not sit on committees, such as IHST, as voting members. That is something that HAI, FAA and the helicopter industry created together. However we've seen that SMS, and particularly data collection, can be helpful in reaching the NTSB goal of zero fatalities." Hersman gave example of the commercial fixed-wing industry, "where people didn't think we could get to zero fatalities. And now we've had a couple of years where we did indeed get there. That can be attributed to CAST," she said, "the Commercial Aviation Safety Team, which really identified things that needed to be done and solutions to get to that target." Hersman sees IHST as comparable to CAST, as the two organizations clearly have similar missions and goals. She lingered on the issue of SMS being integrated into the helicopter-industry culture and suggested that IHST's SMS Toolkit was a perfect example of an industry template that can help. "I think that it is extremely important to make sure that the SMS can be customized to the size and scope of your operation," she said. "I think small operators, in particular, can benefit [from the IHST kit] and the majority of these businesses are small operators with one or two helicopters. They don't have a lot of staff to implement an SMS, and customization is key for them." Above and beyond changing the culture of helicopter operations, Hersman hopes to see an FAA mandate requiring video and data recording devices in all helicopters one day. "This morning we were visiting American Eurocopter and Appareo," she told AIN. "Both of these companies are using video and data recording on their models now and into the future. Appareo produced these for Bristow Helicopter to use like a check pilot in the helicopter with their crews. Bristow has had great results the last few years, logging zero fatalities. And they have operations all over the world. "So, when people think it is pie-in-the-sky, and you can't get to zero, well, I think you can," she said confidently. Hersman and her staff planned to spend time interacting with Heli-Expo 2012 attendees in the NTSB booth, No. 8536. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/hai-convention-news/2012-02-12/ntsb-chair- lauds-hai-members-their-safety-initiatives Back to Top Back to Top IS-BAO Safety Code Rewritten for Helicopter Operators Four industry operator organizations have written comprehensive amendments to the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), to facilitate implementation of the safety standard by helicopter operators. International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) representatives are offering two seminars during Heli-Expo to introduce operators to IS-BAO parameters. The seminars- Introduction to IS-BAO and the IS-BAO Auditor Accreditation Workshop-are available at the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Booth (No. 8632). In 2010 representatives of the European Helicopter Association (EHA), British Helicopter Association (BHA), HAI and IBAC agreed to amend the safety standard to make it applicable to the helicopter community. IS-BAO's performance-based standards have a safety management system (SMS) as the cornerstone, addressing operations, maintenance, training and related issues. The standards also provide links to regulations, standards and recommended practices specified by national authorities and the International Civil Aviation Organization. "The amended standard teaches helicopter operators to promote safe operations and compare their policies and procedures to a collection of best practices developed by their industry peers," said HAI president Matt Zuccaro. Added Brian Humphries, chairman of the British Helicopter Association, "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 International Helicopter Safety Team [IHST]." IBAC director general Donald Spruston said, "Completion of the integration of helicopter provisions into the IS-BAO is another industry milestone action to continuously improve operational safety." Vittorio Morassi of the EHA noted, "Once achieving registration, operators should also enjoy reduced costs and be able to use their demonstrated commitment to safety as a marketing tool." Bob Sheffield (Shell Aircraft), Stan Rose (HAI) and Ray Rohr (IBAC), with representation from around the world including the IHST and the European Helicopter Safety Team, reviewed extensive material before recommending changes. The Standards Board approved the amendment at its Oct. 9, 2011 meeting and directed the IS-BAO team to update the many related documents, including the Audit Procedures Manual. The IS-BAO helicopter provision amendments are available in the January 2012 edition of IS-BAO. Copies can be purchased from any IBAC member association or from the partnering helicopter associations. IS-BAO was introduced in 2002 following a process that included input from more than 100 operators' best practices. Since IS-BAO's launch, more than 550 operators have obtained certificates of registration verifying implementation. Back to Top Safety board chairwoman lauds Eurocopter for installing data recorders DALLAS -- The head of the National Transportation Safety Board praised the helicopter industry Sunday for its efforts to improve safety, singling out American Eurocopter of Grand Prairie. The company, owned by a French-German consortium, has voluntarily committed to installing flight data recorders in its new aircraft, board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said, a key step in understanding why accidents occur and taking steps to prevent them. "I applaud American Eurocopter" for its commitment to install recorders and improve safety, Hersman told the Helicopter Association International, which opened its annual meeting and trade show at the Dallas Convention Center. In an interview after the speech, Hersman said the safety board was "very disappointed" that Bell Helicopter of Fort Worth was not willing to make the same commitment. "We'd love to see Bell commit to what American Eurocopter has committed to with installing these lightweight [flight data] recorders" in new aircraft. "We'd love to see Bell come around to do what American Eurocopter is doing." Bell spokesman Robert Hastings said the company is "in discussions with the FAA and our customers to determine the best path forward. We have in development data- monitoring technologies that are more sophisticated, effective and relevant, technologies that focus more on accident prevention than accident investigation." Getting flight data recorders, which are mandated on commercial airliners, installed in more types of aircraft is high on the safety board's wish list, Hersman said. The recorders are now lightweight and relatively inexpensive. American Eurocopter decided to install them as the Federal Aviation Administration, prodded by the safety board, considered rules to require them in the type of light helicopters often used for emergency medical transports, law enforcement and other everyday missions. But the often years-long regulatory process has not gone very far, and Hersman praised American Eurocopter for moving forward without regulations. The company has partnered with a manufacturer that has developed a system that records not only all the aircraft flight data but also images of the cockpit and the crew's actions. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/12/3729552/safety-board- chairwoman-lauds.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Helicopters' Versatility Stands Out at 2012 Heli-Expo An example is a new "super-medium" category unveiled Feb. 12 by Bell Helicopter with its Bell 525 Relentless, a 16-passenger aircraft designed for mission configurations including oil & gas, search & rescue, EMS, and VIP/corporate transport. Feb 13, 2012 The worldwide helicopter industry converged on Dallas during the past weekend to participate in the 2012 Heli-Expo, a major conference sponsored by Helicopter Association International (HAI). HAI's "Salute to Excellence" awards dinner at 8 p.m. Feb. 13 is mainly devoted to safety awards, including the Pilot of the Year Award, the Eurocopter Golden Hour Award, the AgustaWestland Safety Award, and the Sikorsky Humanitarian Service Award. HAI Chairman Mark Gibson announced in Dallas that the association's membership had reached a new record of 3,146. Safety and versatility are key themes of the event. The National Transportation Safety Board has a booth in the expo, and NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman spoke during the HAI Member Breakfast on Sunday. Educational sessions devoted to safety and maintenance topics were on the program each day of the four-day event, which will end Feb. 14. The International Helicopter Safety Team, co-chaired by FAA and HAI and created in 2006 to achieve an 80 percent reduction in the international civil helicopter accident rate by 2016, sponsored four workshops at the conference, including one on the IHST safety management system and another about research supporting the accident reduction goals. The wide range of exhibitors and HAI committees participating in the event illustrates the many types of missions for which helicopters are used. Bell Helicopter, for example, took the wraps off its Bell 525 Relentless (http://www.bell525supermedium.net/) on Feb. 12; officials said the 16-passenger aircraft can be used for long-range oil & gas transport, search & rescue, firefighting, emergency medical transport, and VIP/corporate transport. It is the first commercial helicopter in the "super-medium" class and the first to incorporate fly-by-wire controls, according to Bell, which is a Textron Inc. company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Bell's announcement said the Relentless uses the Garmin G5000H touchscreen avionics suite "for enhanced situational awareness and improved pilot integration." "The new Bell 525 Relentless is a culmination of our research and development efforts, which were informed by a representative product development panel of our customers, including PHi, an industry leader in helicopter operations. Relentlessly listening to our customers and using their feedback to provide them with the right product at the right time has been the winning combination," said John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter. "Having PHi and our other customers engage with us on this unprecedented new aircraft validates our product development strategies - placing our customers at the center of everything we do. We appreciate the collaborative spirit we share with all of our customers who have participated in this innovative process." http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/02/13/helicopters-versatility-stands-out-at- expo.aspx?admgarea=news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC