Flight Safety Information March 13, 2012 - No. 051 In This Issue Delta 737 rolls off taxiway into embankment at Atlanta airport Turkish air force jet crashes during training exercise, pilot is killed Pilots Killed In Russian Military Copter Crash Russia Claims Air-Safety Improvement Delta Flight Attendant: We're Here To Save Your A-- Not Kiss It ARGUS PROS Global Auditing Air India aircraft scrapes Mumbai runway UK police arrest 2 men at Heathrow Airport for disrupting Vegas to London flight FAA's ability to fire problem air traffic controllers questioned after 2nd potential collision Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Bomb Threat Irish airline forces language test on Greek citizen IFPA Certification Conference Delta 737 rolls off taxiway into embankment at Atlanta airport; no passengers on board A Delta jet rolled off a taxiway and into an embankment at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Tuesday morning. ATLANTA -- No one was injured when a Delta plane rolled off a taxiway and into an embankment at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Tuesday morning. Two Delta maintenance workers were testing the engines on the 737 aircraft shortly after 5 a.m. when the brakes failed and the plane began to move, according to Delta spokesman Eric Torgenson. No passengers were aboard the plane when it left Taxiway E and crashed into the embankment. The plane sustained damage, but the extent of it is not yet known, Torgenson said. A runway adjacent to Taxiway E is closed while crews work to move the plane. According to the FAA, the incident has had no impact on operations at Hartsfield although it may do so later when Delta tries to recover the plane. http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/13/10665856-delta-737-rolls-off- taxiway-into-embankment-at-atlanta-airport-no-passengers-on- board?chromedomain=usnews Back to Top Turkish air force jet crashes during training exercise, pilot is killed ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's military says an air force jet has crashed in central Turkey, killing the pilot. The military says in a statement that the Northrop F-5 plane went down near the city of Konya on Tuesday during a training flight. It says the cause of the crash was under investigation. The state-run Anadolu Agency says the plane belonged to the Air Force's aerobatic team, the Turkish Stars. Back to Top Pilots Killed In Russian Military Copter Crash (RTTNews) - Two pilots were killed when a Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter of Russia crashed during a training flight near Torzhok in the country's Tver region on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said. A rescue group found the chopper some ten kilometers west of Torzhok air field at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time. One pilot died immediately in the crash and the other died in hospital shortly after, Russia's official media reported quoting a Ministry spokesman. There was no ammunition on board the helicopter when it crashed while on a training sortie. The Ministry said flights of Ka-52 helicopters would not be suspended as a result of the accident which was being investigated by a panel of experts. The aircraft's flight data recorders would soon be handed over to the specialists to find out the cause of the accident, the spokesman said. It was the first loss of a Ka-52 multirole attack helicopter, even though there have been previous accidents involving the single-seat Ka-50, from which the Ka-52 is derived. A Ka-50 crashed in 1998 during an air display, killing the base commander at Torzhok. An official accident report said the helicopter's co-axial rotor blades hit each other during hard maneuvering. The Ka-50 and Ka-52 are unique among helicopters in having ejection seats. The seats operate after explosives in the rotor head blow off the rotor blades to give the crew a safe exit, the report said. http://www.rttnews.com/1839668/pilots-killed-in-russian-military-copter- crash.aspx?type=gn&Node=B1 Back to Top Russia Claims Air-Safety Improvement The wreckage of a TU-134 plane that made a hard landing on a highway 15 kilometers from a runway in Petrozavodsk in June 2011. Russian officials claim aviation incidents have decreased in Russia in 2011. Aleksandr Neradko, the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transportation, said there were 829 aviation incidents in Russia last year, down from 927 in 2010. According to a survey by London-based aviation consultancy Ascend, Russia ranks as one the world's most dangerous countries for air travel. Russian aviation's dismal safety record attracted renewed attention following the crash of a charter plane that killed 43 people, including 36 players and staff from a top Russian ice-hockey team last year. Eight of Russia's nine crashes in 2011 involved Soviet-era planes. In November, four Russian carriers were banned from crossing the European Union borders for failing to meet European standards, including safety standards. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia_claims_air_safety_improvement/24513375.html Back to Top Delta Flight Attendant: We're Here To Save Your A-- Not Kiss It By: Marc Weber Tobias, Contributor Our aircraft lost pressurization after leaving Minneapolis. The oxygen masks appeared automatically, just like you are told in the safety briefing before every flight. (Written today from 35,000 feet aboard Delta flight 1496) A few days ago I was speaking with one of my good friends who is a senior Delta flight attendant with more than thirty years of experience with the airline. I was complaining about the failure of Delta to accommodate first class passengers for meals because they are always out of salads. Of course I suppose I should not complain, given the fact that I am always upgraded as a Diamond million-miler, but nonetheless neither I nor many fellow passengers like to eat the sandwiches that are offered for lunch, rather than the delicious salads! She responded to my complaints with a simple, somewhat acerbic but nonetheless true statement: "We are not here to kiss your ass, but to save it!" If there is an emergency, I understood this to be true but we all take airline safety for granted because of the incredible safety record in flying. We rarely think about the real mission of flight attendants, but that is the real reason they are there; to protect us first. I was flying from Minneapolis to New York this morning in an MD88 aircraft. We were about thirty minutes into a two hour flight. The flight attendants were just asking everyone what they wanted for lunch when the cabin heat came up all of a sudden, the plane began descending and oxygen masks dropped from their compartments. About two minutes later, the pilot announced that we had lost pressurization and could not continue on to New York. We would return to Minneapolis. Each row has its own oxygen system. The canisters get very hot, so passengers are warned not to touch them. It is a very clever design which will support flight for several hours, if necessary. Aircraft must be pressurized because of the lack of oxygen above 10,000 feet. I believe this is the first time in my fifty years of flying that this has happened, so I was more interested in the technical aspects rather than safety concern. I have had other on- board mechanical issues including the loss of an engine over England (in a small two engine plane) and an aborted takeoff which was a bit tense, but nothing life-threatening. I was also supposed to fly on UAL 232 from Portland to Chicago the day it crashed in Sioux City doing a cartwheel down the runway engulfed in flames. Thankfully, I was delayed and so took the flight the next day. But it does give one pause to consider that airplanes are incredibly complex and surrounded by highly flammable fuel. When one considers that the typical jet engine contains more than 50,000 parts, it is truly a miracle that everything usually works correctly and millions of passengers get to where they want to go without incident. I remembered what my Delta friend told me this morning, and while we take airline safety for granted, one instantly understand that you are (in this case) more than 30,000 feet above the ground in a modified rocket. If things go wrong, it is the crew and often some luck that will get you down safely. The oxygen mask has three butterfly valves that respond to air pressure when you breathe in and out. This way, oxygen comes into the mask but does not escape. When you exhale, the two other valves pass your breath through the outlets. True to form, I got to examine the oxygen delivery system and thought that it might be of interest to my readers. We rarely see the inner-workings of the actual mechanism. The release of the masks is triggered by a loss of pressurization, or manually by the flight crew. There is actually an electrical switch that links to a latch in the swing-open door. In the case this morning, the Captain announced that he was not able to reduce altitude quickly enough for the automatic system to avoid triggering. So, the entire aircraft looked like a high-tech ICU ward for about thirty minutes until we were below 10,000 feet. The crew on flight 2096 donned their oxygen canisters and was constantly checking on passengers to be certain they were ok. There was no meal service which, of course was disappointing, but on my second flight to New York a couple of hours later, I did get my salad, but it was macaroni and chicken, not Caesar. I do not like macaroni, but what can I say. Delta got me to New York, delayed, but safe. Maybe next time they could have enough meal choices to make everyone happy! http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2012/03/12/delta-flight-attendant-were- here-to-save-your-a-not-kiss-it/ Back to Top Back to Top Air India aircraft scrapes Mumbai runway An Air India pilot attempted to take off immediately after landing in Mumbai this morning in the mistaken belief that the aircraft had been hit by a bird, causing the tail to scrape the runway at high speed, and putting the plane and the nearly 100 passengers on board at risk, sources said. AI 614 from Ahmedabad skidded and lurched in a shower of sparks as the airframe brushed the tarmac at nearly 180 km per hour. Passengers in the back rows were jolted by the impact, but no injuries were reported. The plane, an Airbus 319 inducted less than two years ago, will be out of service for at least two months. Repairs could cost up to Rs 3 crore, sources said. Grave consequences might have followed had the auxiliary power unit in the tail caught fire. The air safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has started a probe. The pilot has been de-rostered pending the inquiry. Sources said cockpit voice recording indicated Capt Samaira Ali suspected a birdhit as she came in to land. "She followed birdhit landing procedures. The CVR noted that the pilot said she will attempt a go-around. While she was trying to take off again, she pulled the flaps up, but the aircraft had no power to take off, and as a result she skidded on the runway," said a source. "This is an extremely rare occurrence," said another source. "During landing or takeoff, if an aircraft tends to pitch higher than normal, it gives out a pitch warning that is impossible to ignore. A pilot is supposed to... bring the pitch down to normal. In this case, the pilot seems to have disregarded the warnings." http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Aircraft-scrapes-Mumbai-runway--pilot-taken-off- duty/922950/ Back to Top UK police arrest 2 men at Heathrow Airport for disrupting Vegas to London flight LONDON (AP) - British police say two men have been arrested at London's Heathrow Airport for being disruptive on a flight from the U.S. Metropolitan Police say the pair - a 28-year-old and a 33-year-old - were passengers on a British Airways Flight from Las Vegas and remain in custody after being detained upon arrival at Heathrow's Terminal 5. The force said there was no indication of any danger to passengers or the plane. British Airways confirmed a flight from Las Vegas to London was met by police and apologized for any inconvenience to customers. Neither police nor British Airways would confirm a report by Britain's Sky News that the men were Israeli passport holders who made "threatening comments" regarding Iran. Back to Top FAA's ability to fire problem air traffic controllers questioned after 2nd potential collision WASHINGTON (AP) - An air traffic controller who nearly caused a midair collision last year has again been relieved of duty after putting two planes on converging courses. The case raises questions about whether employee rights are trumping safety at the Federal Aviation Administration. Shortly after beginning the 7 p.m. work shift at the FAA radar facility at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi on Feb. 29, controller Robert Beck ordered an Air Force C-130 transport jet to increase its altitude from 2,000 feet to 3,000 feet and to adjust its heading. That put the jet on a converging course with a twin-engine turboprop owned by the Department of Homeland Security, according to an FAA employee with knowledge of the incident. The controller whom Beck had relieved was standing in the back of the radar room while taking a break. He noticed the mistake and alerted Beck so he was able to separate the planes, avoiding a possible collision, said the employee with knowledge of the incident. The planes were just north of Gulfport at the time. The employee wasn't authorized to speak publicly and commented only on condition of not being named. An FAA report on the incident, released Friday in response to an Associated Press request under the Freedom of Information Act, confirms most of the details, although it doesn't name the controller involved. An FAA analysis of radar data shows the planes came within 2.59 miles laterally and 300 feet vertically of each other. Regulations require a minimum separation distance between planes of three miles laterally and 1,000 feet vertically. Air traffic was light at the time, leaving Beck - who has a history of disciplinary problems - with no planes to handle except the two that he put on a converging course, the employee said. Beck didn't return a telephone call from the AP. The FAA report said the controller who made the error initially thought he'd been told the planes were at the same altitude, which is why he told the Air Force jet to go up to 3,000 feet. The controller has been removed from directing air traffic and is "currently assigned to administrative duties while the FAA evaluates the individual's future status with the agency," the FAA said in a statement. FAA officials are "committed to ensuring the safety of our nation's airspace for the traveling public, and we take seriously and investigate all reported infractions," the statement said. "We are working with (the National Air Traffic Controllers Association) to implement a professional standards pilot program that will help improve performance levels and conduct among employees." Ralph Humphrey, Beck's former boss, said he tried repeatedly last year to get the controller fired, but FAA officials in Washington ignored his requests. "It's typical of trying to get rid of problem employees" at FAA, said Humphrey, who was the air traffic manager in Gulfport until he retired in January. "It is damn difficult to get rid of an employee for cause." One reason is that union officials exploit complex employee protection rules even when controllers are unfit, Humphrey said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/faas-ability-to-fire-problem-air-traffic- controllers-questioned-after0ind-potential-collision/2012/03/09/gIQAjxys1R_story.html Back to Top Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Bomb Threat (RTTNews) - A JetBlue Airways flight from Boston to Chicago made an emergency landing in Buffalo on Monday due to a "security threat," authorities said. Law enforcement searched Flight 923 in Buffalo and found nothing after a "telephonic bomb threat" was received, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The flight then departed for Chicago, its original destination. A female passenger on board was interviewed by authorities in Buffalo. The TSA said the aircraft has "since been cleared of any possible threats," the Boston Globe reported. The threat originated with a call from a female in Boston, Steven Lanser, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Buffalo office, said at a news conference. Two females were being questioned, one in the Buffalo area, and the other in Boston, he said. "It appears that it wasn't a valid threat," Lanser said at the conference. No charges have been filed yet, and it is undetermined if any charges will be filed, Lanser said. The plane took off from Boston at 6:35 a.m. The crew on board notified the agency about the issue around 8:10 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Jim Peters told the Globe. JetBlue released the following statement, "Due to a security threat, Flight 923 from BOS- ORD (O'Hare) diverted and landed safely in BUF (Buffalo) where the aircraft was met by local and federal authorities. This is an ongoing investigation and we refer all questions to the FBI for further comment." Back to Top Irish airline forces language test on Greek citizen Greece, it seems, has a long way to go to patch up its crumpled image as Europe (and beyond) remains sceptical about the country and its overall state. The latest in a growing list of incidents took place in Barcelona recently. As reported in Monday's edition of the Irish Times, Dr Chryssa Dislis, a telecoms manager who lives with her family in Cork, was not allowed to board an Aer Lingus flight heading back to Ireland, unless she submitted to a language test in both Greek and English. According to the company's handling agents, such a test was necessary in order to establish that she was Greek, being that "many people from Greece, travel with false papers". When Dislis tried to argue that a fluency in either language was not required to hold a passport, the Aer Lingus staff had her luggage - and that of her husband and ten-year- old daughter - removed from the flight to Ireland. Upon accepting that she had no other choice but to complete the forms, she asked the Aer Lingus staff for a copy of the forms, but was refused on the grounds that they were internal documents. A tense argument ensued, as Dislis' husband tried to photograph the documents as proof and eventually required the intervention of police and airport security to end the disagreement. "A very polite and calm policewoman arrived, who told them to put our luggage back on the flight and check us in," Dr Dislis told the Irish Times. "She asked us to delete a couple of the photos that showed staff members but, after a heated conversation with the manager, asked us if we would please delete the photos of the documents. We complied with the request and were checked in. "All of this took place in full view of everyone in the queue. My daughter was deeply distressed and crying. I found the whole experience very disturbing. "In the age of biometric passports, such illogical and discriminatory 'tests' are entirely unacceptable. I was only targeted because of my nationality and no serious attempt was made to check that I was indeed flying back home, where I came from only six days previously," she said. Her husband managed to retrieve the photographs from the camera and she transcribed the forms. A complaint placed by Dislis with Aer Lingus raised a printed apology and a 200 euro voucher. Speaking on Irish state broadcaster RTE on Monday morning, Dislis said the test was all the more "insane" as none of the Aer Lingus staff correct the completed test. "It was some bright spark that must have thought of the idea. None of them spoke Greek. I gave the test and said, right, read it. "I could have written the Three Little Pigs. They couldn't know," she told the Morning Ireland programme. Dislis also said that the Greek embassy in Dublin told her that it had never heard of forged biometric Greek passports. Only a small number of forged old type police IDs had come to its attention. (Athens News) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below are the written questions that Chryssa Dislis was asked to compete: 1.Please write your forenames and family name in capital letters. 2.Please underline the numbers twelve and sixty-five: 12, 18, 24, 37, 41, 49, 57, 65, 73, 89. 3.Please write down in the following order: your date of birth, place of birth and today's date. 4.Please point to the last page and to your photograph in the document before you. 5.Please show me any cash you have in your possession. 6.Please sketch a ladder and a triangle. 7.Please read out the script on the page of your document indicated. 8.What is your travel destination? (The Greek version asks "Where are you going to in England?") http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/54007 Back to Top With two recent aircraft run-offs here within the United States, airports must take preventive measures to reduce such risks while providing accurate and reliable runway condition reports to pilots. * Certify runway safety inspectors; * Use calibrated equipment; and * Report runway conditions for all contaminates. Register now for the Runway Certification Workshop and learn best practices for keeping your runways safe. The IFPA Runway Certification program recognizes individual members who have met professional standards to become certified and maintain their certification. Read More Join IFPA and network with a group of esteemed professionals from across the globe. About IFPA IFPA is a not-for-profit association formed in 2006 to provide both technical and industry expertise on issues related to pavement friction safety of international airfield and runway surfaces. IFPA's mission is to gather pavement consultants, engineers, institutions, universities and airport operations staff to collaborate on improving research in the science of pavement friction testing for the betterment of transportation safety. International Friction Pavement Association (IFPA), 16110 Flight Path Drive, Brooksville, FL 34604 USA Tel : (813) 471-7026 Fax : (727) 538-8765 Send us an email. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC