Flight Safety Information February 17, 2012 - No. 035 In This Issue Pilot suspected of being drunk kept from boarding Frontier flight Air Australia cancels all flights, suspends operations ARGUS PROS Global Auditing Delta defends record on pet safety Calls for Application for...The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship The San Francisco ISASI Chapter Welcomes Mark Roekind, NTSB Board Member Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Training at ERAU CASE Pilot suspected of being drunk kept from boarding Frontier flight A Frontier Airlines flight from Omaha, Neb., to Milwaukee was delayed Thursday morning after the pilot, suspected of being drunk, was kept from boarding the plane. The pilot didn't make it through security after arousing the suspicions of airport police and Frontier employees, airline spokesperson Lindsey Carpenter told msnbc.com. The incident is under investigation. "Because this is a personnel issue, we can't and won't comment on specifics other than to say that because of concern of the crew member, that crew member was replaced," the airline said in a statement. "Appropriate action will be taken with the crew member when our investigation is complete." Frontier Flight 1894, operated by Chautauqua Airlines, was scheduled to leave Omaha at 6 a.m., and departed shortly before 8 a.m. after a replacement pilot was found. http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/16/10426482-pilot-suspected-of- being-drunk-kept-from-boarding-frontier-flight Back to Top Air Australia cancels all flights, suspends operations Thousands of Air Australia passengers are stranded overseas after the budget airline was abruptly placed into administration overnight. More than 4000 travellers have been told to find another way home after the airline's fleet was grounded indefinitely. "There's about 4000 people overseas and they actively need to manage their own affairs. Our call centre can take the calls but they should not be relying on Air Australia to get them back," Mark Korda, a spokesman for administrators KordaMentha, told 3AW. "They actively should be trying to find another airline. During the night we've also talked to Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin." He said the airline had run out of money to refuel its planes overnight. "We've had to suspend operations at the moment, that's the first thing we've done and it's possible we'll be able to find a white knight to save the airline but it's early days yet," he said. The administrators said people who had paid by credit card or have travel insurance are highly likely to get refunds, but those who paid in cash may have lost their money as the airline had no cash for refunds. "Unfortunately if you paid by cash, it is likely you will not be entitled to a refund unless you took out insurance and that insurance covers an event of insolvency," the administrators said in a statement. Mr Korda said the situation was complex, with about 300 employees of the company also in limbo as it has no funds. Chaos mars couple's honeymoon Honeymooners Michael and Tiffany Ilyine are among hundreds of Australians stranded in Phuket after their flight was cancelled overnight. Mr Ilyine, from Geelong, said the couple had been due to fly out at 7.30pm Phuket time after their 10-day honeymoon in Koh Samui. The couple had checked in to their flight and their bags were loaded on to the plane but they were never able to board. Mr Ilyine said the plane's departure was delayed a number of times before passengers were handed a press release from KordaMentha after midnight. It said: "In the short term, the fleet will be grounded. It currently appears that there are no funds available to meet operational expenses so flights will be suspended immediately. "For clarity, it also appears highly unlikely there will be any flights in the short to medium term. You should make alternate travel arrangements." Mr Ilyine said there were no Air Australia staff in the terminal to speak to passengers. "The information from the airline is that there would be no assistance," he said. "There was no communication from them at all, there were no ground staff and air staff said that they refused to answer the phones and weren't able to be contacted. "There's a planeload of mainly Australians who have been dispersed from the airport with nothing really apart from a press release." The couple managed to book accommodation five minutes from the airport and were trying desperately to find flights home on other airlines. Mr Ilyine said most of the flights were booking out fast as passengers scrambled to get home. Dozens of flights cancelled Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said Qantas and Jetstar would try and help stranded passengers. "They're actually very full on Jetstar services but Jetstar is looking at adding supplementary services to help those passengers,'' Mr Joyce told Channel Seven. He said Qantas would consider adding extra services. "If the (Air Australia) passengers come to a Qantas desk, a Jestar desk, show their ticket, we'll give them a ticket for the same value they've paid with Air Australia," he said. "So they don't have to pay any more and they can try and recover that fare from their travel agencies or their credit card suppliers." Flight Centre said as many as 10,000 of its customers with future bookings would be affected. It has an emergency team of 20 people at its Brisbane headquarters who are contacting stranded passengers and those with future bookings. Flight Centre has an emergency number for Air Australia customers: 1300 131 600. Mr Korda said he was aware of trouble with the supply of fuel before he went to bed last night. KordaMentha was the company that handled the demise of Ansett. Six Air Australia flights were due to land in Melbourne today, two from Phuket and four domestic flights from Brisbane. Another four were due to land tomorrow including two from Honolulu in Hawaii. A total of 40 flights were due to fly to Melbourne over the next week and all have been cancelled. The Federal Government has been in touch with consuls in Hawaii, Bali and Phuket on advising stranded passengers. "Travellers should get in touch with their tour operator and/or insurance company," the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. "If you are unable to contact them, you should call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305. "Our Embassy will continue to remain in close contact with local authorities on the latest situation." It urged anyone worried about family or friends to try to contact them directly first. "If you are unable to contact them and still hold concerns for their welfare, you should call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on within Australia on 1300 555 135 or if overseas on +61 2 6261 3305." Airline denied having money trouble Air Australia is the new passenger airline of charter firm Strategic. It was re-launched three months ago as a discount holiday airline, flying to Hawaii, Phuket and Bali from its home base in Brisbane. But it also flew to Hawaii from Melbourne, with daily flights from Wednesday to Sunday. Its domestic routes included a daily flight Melbourne to Brisbane and it also served the booming mining areas of Western Australia, with flights from Perth to Derby and Port Hedland. Only yesterday Air Australia, which has five aircraft including two twin-aisle Airbus A330s and two smaller Airbus A320s, was still taking bookings over the internet. The first sign of trouble for the airline came this week when it was revealed that it had been unable to pay aviation fees and charges to Air Services Australia. The airline was also being pursued over debts for terminal leasing at Perth Airport and over other charges it had not paid to Melbourne Airport. It claimed less than 48 hours ago it was in no financial strife and denied claims it had also been late with payments to Flight Centre. Air Australia leased some aircraft via its European arm, including enlisting one aircraft from Turkish airways Atlas Air to operate on routes from Australia into Asia. That aircraft was crewed by Turkish nationals, about a dozen of whom worked with Air Australia, with a number of Thai aircrew also employed on Thai wages and conditions. It's understood some of the Thai crew, which were reputedly on a wage of around $90 a day in Australia, have been stranded in Melbourne. Their plight is likely to intensify political pressure from Senator Nick Xenophon, who has put forward draft legislation requiring Australian airlines to pay local standard wages to all crews flying on domestic sectors in Australia. Aviation analyst Tony Webber said the pressure on Air Australia would have been greater due to the rising cost of aviation fuel, which this week hit $130 a barrel. Mr Webber said it would have been difficult for Air Australia to pass on the extra cost of fuel and maintain its cheap fares, which were advertised as low as $600 return to Phuket. The company is almost totally owned by entrepreneur Michael James, whose Strategic Group also owns a charter operation in Europe. The cancellations came a day after Qantas announced it was shedding 500 jobs due to tough business conditions. Source: dailytelegraph.com.au Back to Top Back to Top Delta defends record on pet safety ATLANTA, GA -- Delta Airlines is defending its record when it comes to the deaths of animals on its flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently released records showing that more pets died on Delta flights than any other airline last year. 35 pets died on U.S. flights last year; that's down from 39 in 2010. Delta saw an increase from 16 deaths in 2010 to 19 pet deaths in 2011. Delta says their numbers are higher because they carry more pets than other airlines and that the number of pets that are injured or die on the airline is less than 0.2 percent of the pets carried. Delta officials also say the loss of any pet is unacceptable, and they are working to improve procedures. In December Delta stopped accepting snub-nosed dogs and cats because they are susceptible to respiratory problems. That is a move recommended by the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society says that Pekingese, Bulldogs and Persian cats should never fly due to risk of oxygen deprivation or heat stroke. The Humane Society also recommends against transporting any pets by air unless absolutely necessary. http://www.kare11.com/news/article/962472/18/Delta-defends-record-on-pet-safety Back to Top Alaska Air Group taps Brad Tilden as new CEO Feb 16 (Reuters) - Alaska Air Group Inc said on Thursday Alaska Airlines president Brad Tilden will take over as chief executive on May 15, replacing Bill Ayer, who is set to retire. Shares of Alaska Air Group, the parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, gained 1.6 percent to $75.91 on the New York Stock Exchange. Tilden, 51, joined the airline from Price Waterhouse in 1991 and has served as the Alaska Air Group chief financial officer and executive vice president of planning and finance. "He is a superb executive," said Ray Neidl, an aerospace analyst at Maxim Group. "He's grounded, responsible, promotes most of the positive culture that Alaska Airlines has with its employees and its customers. Yet, at the same time, he's a very financially oriented, bottom-line guy." Neidl said the appointment represents no change to Alaska Air's culture or direction. Ayer, 57, who had been at the company for about 30 years, has been CEO for 10 years and will remain chairman of the board. Tilden will continue as president of Alaska Airlines. Also on Thursday, the company declared a two-for-one stock split. The additional shares will be distributed on March 16 to shareholders of record on March 2. The stock split will boost the company's outstanding shares from 35.5 million shares to about 71 million shares. Alaska Air Group also said it would buy up to $50 million of its common stock over the next year. Back to Top Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship DEADLINE for filling application 15 April, 2012 The 2012 ISASI Seminar will be held at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Aug 28-30, 2012 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS 2012 The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Purpose: To encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. Funding: The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship fund will be established through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in a recognized (note ISASI recognized) education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc., with major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation are eligible for the scholarship. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Administration of the Fund: The President of ISASI will appoint a two person committee to be executors and administrators of the fund. The ISASI Treasurer will oversee all expenditures. The Scholarship Fund Committee will check that the education program is at a recognized school and applicable to the aims of the Society, assess the applications and determine the most suitable candidate. Donors and recipients will be advised if donations are made in honor of a particular individual. Annual Scholarship: Funded attendance at ISASI Annual Seminar An award of $2000 will be made to each student who wins the competitive writing requirement, meets the application requirements and will register for the ISASI annual seminar. The award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and lodging/meals expenses. Any expenses above and beyond the amount of the award will be borne by the recipient. ISASI will assist with coordination and control the expenditure of funds. In addition, the following are offered to the winner(s) of the scholarship. 1. A one year membership to ISASI 2. The Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI) offers tuition-free attendance to ANY regularly scheduled SCSI course to the winner of the ISASI Scholarship. This includes the two-week Aircraft Accident Investigator course or any other investigation courses. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information at http://www.scsi-inc.com/ 3. The Transportation Safety Institute offers a tuition free course for the winner of the Scholarship. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information is available at http://www.tsi.dot.gov/ 4. The Cranfield University Safety and Accident Investigation Centre offers tuition-free attendance at its 5-day Accident Investigation course which runs as part of its Masters Degree program at the Cranfield campus, 50 miles north of London, UK. Travel to/from the course and accommodation are not included. Further information is available from www.csaic.net/ Application requirements: 1.A full time student who meets the Eligibility requirement stated above and has been enrolled for a duration of one year 2. The student is to submit a 1000 (+/- 10%) word paper in English addressing "the challenges for air safety investigators" 3. The paper is to be the students own work and must be countersigned by the student's tutor/academic supervisor as authentic, original work 4. The papers will be judged on their content, original thinking, logic and clarity of expression 5. The student must complete the application form with their paper by April 15, 2012 and submit it to ISASI by mail, fax, oremail to isasi@erols.com. ISASI contact information - Ann Schull, International Office Manager 107 E. Holly Avenue, Suite #11 Sterling, VA 20164 703 430 9668 (Main) 703 430-4970 (FAX) Some advice to those applying: 1. Late submissions are not advisable 2. Handwritten applications are not advisable 3. Make sure to include your email address as indicated in 5/ above 4. For email submissions the essay should be in MS Word format; however, the application form may be in pdf, in order to facilitate scanning the completed and signed application. ************** Application Form 2012 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Name: Date: Address: Course enrolled for: Year /Subjects Studied: Academic Institute: Address: Email: Telephone number: Student Signature:_____________________________________________________________ Tutor/Academic Supervisor title and signature:________________________________________ 1000 Word Paper ""the challenges for air safety investigators" NOTE: Students who wish to apply for the scholarship should visit www.isasi.org or send email to isasi@erols.com. The ISASI office telephone number is 1-703-430-9668. Back to Top The San Francisco Chapter International Society of Air Safety Investigators welcomes Honorable Mark R. Rosekind, Board Member - NTSB Enhancing Aviation Safety NTSB Investigations and Recommendations Where: Oakland Aviation Museum, Oakland Airport When: Friday, February 24h, 2012 from 1400-1500 Recommended Donation: $5 (to offset the museum entrance fee) An NTSB Board member since 2010, Dr. Rosekind is also an internationally-recognized fatigue expert who has conducted research and implemented programs in diverse settings, including all modes of transportation. He has published 150 scientific, technical, and industry papers and provided hundreds of presentations to operational, general, and scientific audiences. His contributions have been acknowledged through numerous honors and awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, six other NASA Group/Team Awards, and two Flight Safety Foundation honors (Presidential Citation for Outstanding Safety Leadership, Business Aviation Meritorious Award. Important Notes: * Program begins at 1400, but you are free to visit the museum before or after the program. * Attendance is NOT limited to ISASI members. You are encouraged to bring friends and colleagues. * No need for donation from students and OAM members * Reduced tie-down fee if arriving by private aircraft. Please RSVP by email Susan.Rivers@RTIforensics.com or (510) 921 5357 Oakland Aviation Museum 8252 Earhart Road - Bldg. L-621 Historic North Field Oakland Intl. Airport (510) 638-7100 www.oaklandaviationmuseum.org Back to Top Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Training At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Training Overview: This 5-day course is designed for aviation professionals to be introduced to advanced aircraft accident investigation procedures involving design, materials and aircraft performance. Participants will analyze various mechanical and structural factors and loads on an airplane, as well as be introduced to advanced fire investigation. Extensive use will be made of the Prescott Campus - Robertson Crash Laboratory, one of the most complete facilities of its kind in the U.S.A. Participants will experience accident investigation simulated scenario exercises and learn how to identify, collect and analyze data in the process of determining probable cause/s. Training Outcomes: ? Appraise various mechanical and structural factors, which produce accidents including design, manufacturing and maintenance. ? Analyze typical air loads on an airplane to calculate external design loads. ? Analyze a particular in-flight break up to determine sequence of failure, primary, and secondary structural failure. ? Explain new structural concepts and materials ? Describe events and forces associated with an aircraft accident. ? Identify the crashworthiness and survivability factors of an aircraft accident ? Explain the basis of airworthiness and crashworthiness from both an investigation and a design standpoint. ? Complete a fire investigation and fire survival analysis. ? Describe the fundamentals of crash fire rescue techniques and apply those techniques to an aircraft crash scenario. Who should attend:This course is valuable for anyone who is responsible for mishap/accident investigation within his or her company. This includes accident investigators, management, pilots, safety directors, mechanics, and insurance representatives. Date & Time: May 7-11, 2012: 8am-5pm (1 hour lunch break) Location: Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus, Arizona Registration Information: www.erau.edu/case Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC