Flight Safety Information March 23, 2012 - No. 059 In This Issue AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference (25APR - NYC) EASA sets out new EFB guidance as technology quickens More cracks found in Qantas A380 wings Colgan seeks to stall official in court Pilot accused of violating Air Force One airspace is arraigned PRISM ANNUAL SMS AUDIT RESULTS Pilot's wife suing airplane company Excitement builds over SpaceX flight to ISS Why airlines have been slow to add Wi-Fi to intercontinental flights Cessna to build business jets in China AViCON 2012: Aviation Disaster Conference Held At The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The Intrepid Sea, & Space Museum Pier 86, W 46th St and 12th Ave New York, NY 10036-4103 AViCON 2012 Trailer by RTI Forensics AViCON 2012 Trailer Aviation Disaster Conference Investigating the Causes, Resolving the Claims Venue: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum New York, NY April 25, 2012 CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION ACCREDITATIONS ARE BEING SOUGHT FROM 22 STATES, PUERTO RICO, AND CANADA The following distinguished faculty members are scheduled to instruct at the event: Frederick (Rick) Alimonti Alimonti Law Offices, P.C. Professor Graham Braithwaite Head, Department of Air Transport, Cranfield University Christa M. Hinckley Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP Nick Hughes Partner, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP David T. Hunter Orion ADR Jason Kelly President, Crisis Advisors Curt Lewis, PE, CSP Curt Lewis & Associates LLC Ricardo M. Martinez-Cid Partner, Podhurst Orseck Rocie Park Director Aviation Claims, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Tim Scorer Consultant, Ince & Co LLP Kathryn Ward Partner, DLA Piper UK LLP Diane Westwood Wilson Partner, Clyde & Co US Fitzpatrick Grand Central Official Hotel for AViCON 2012 Gather with our distinguished faculty and your fellow delegates before and after the conference. A limited number of rooms have been reserved for April 24th and 25th at the special rate of $209 per night plus tax for attendees of the AViCON 2012 conference. After you register to attend AViCON 2012 you will receive a confirmation email which contains the promotion code for the hotel. Reserve your room at the Fitzpatrick Grand Central by calling 212-351-6800 or at fitzpatrickhotels.com using the code. We look forward to seeing you there. The highly successful AViCON® 2010 held in London is set to return to New York. This Aviation Insurance Claim Conference, with its unique format, is gathering reputation and recognition on both sides of the Atlantic since first presented to the London market in 1998. Following are some of the testimonials received from attendees of AViCON 2010: "Excellent having so many professionals together defending their position sitting in the same room and explaining to the audience the consequences of their actions." "I completely enjoyed the whole presentation and found it very educational." "Brilliant!!!" "Very impressive in terms of content and organization." "A very interesting and informative day." This conference 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. 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, Curt Lewis & Associates, Inc., DLA Piper, Ince & Co, Kenyon International Emergency Services, Podhurst Orseck, and 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 worked around the scenario of a new entrant airline buying a new technology airframe that suffers a survivable failure to an engine. This failure subsequently results in multiple fatalities due to a range of issues that include: * Organizational Failures * Crew Competence * Possible Bogus Parts * Defective Warning Systems All are et 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, in a concise and effective format, for all those concerned with safety in aviation to gain a fuller understanding of the entire range of complexities involved in the resolution of multi-party claims that arise from a fictitious aviation accident. Taking just one day, the 2012 conference is based on a reconstruction of a very conceivable and carefully scripted air disaster that occurs when an airline transport 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. After viewing the 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 and the results of the investigation lead to potential liability for a number of parties including: the airline, the aircraft manufacturer, and the airport authority. A group of leading lawyers and insurance executives will debate the issues that arise including: forum selection, punitive damages, fee considerations, evaluating claims, discovery, spoliation, mediation and dispute resolution, quantum of damages, and relationship with insurers. Register for AViCON® 2012 Go to: WWW.RTIAViCON.COM and select the 'Registration' link to view the Registration Application Form. Regular fee $795.00 * February 1, 2012 to April 25, 2012 Student $395.00 * Prior to April 25, 2012 * Must present law school, college, or university student identification at the door Government / Military $650.00 * Prior to April 25, 2012 * Must present government employee or active military identification at the door DISCOUNT REGISTRATION FEE AVAILABLE UNTIL APRIL 16th! Subscribers to this newsletter are being offered a $100 discount when registering between now and April 16th to attend AViCON 2012. Visit the AViCON website, click on Registration, enter the Regular Fee quantity for the number of attendees, and then enter promotional code AViCON-425 and click on the Apply button. EASA sets out new EFB guidance as technology quickens European safety regulators aim to clarify electronic flightbag criteria as rapid advances in technology and changes in operational use threaten to outpace previous guidance. The European Aviation Safety Agency believes there is a pressing need to update approvals given the continuous technological progress and concern that improper use of electronic flightbags constitutes a risk to flight safety. Electronic flightbags are moving away from simply being a more economical storage medium for charts and other paperwork, towards replacing some of the functions traditionally carried out by aircraft avionics. "However, most of the time they are not manufactured according to the same design and approval standards as the ones that are used in the frame of airworthiness," says EASA. The previous guidance - designated TGL36, dating from 2004 - is "somewhat obsolete", it adds, and needs to be updated "urgently". It proposes to amend this material and enhance it by creating a new airworthiness and operational compliance document. This will bring its guidance into line with modern technical capabilities - taking into account additional applications, such as airport moving-map displays - and clarify the roles of various parties in the flightbag approval process. EASA highlights a number of accidents and incidents centred on performance data and electronic flightbag design, including a serious Emirates Airbus A340 tail-strike at Melbourne in 2009 and the crash of an MK Airlines Boeing 747-200F at Halifax in 2004. It adds that a Volpe Center study identified 67 occurrences related to electronic flightbags between 1995 and 2009, while Australian and French studies have also found "numerous" events relating to erroneous take-off parameters. "If nothing is done, with the proliferation of the number of [flightbags] and the number of applications residing on them, the situation may deteriorate even further in the future," EASA adds. It is seeking comments on the proposal by 18 June. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/easa-sets-out-new-efb-guidance-as- technology-quickens-369788/ Back to Top More cracks found in Qantas A380 wings Qantas has found the more serious "type two" cracks in the wings of the two A380s it has inspected since European air-safety regulators ordered checks of the worldwide fleet of Airbus superjumbos last month. Australia's largest airline is considering pursuing Airbus for compensation for the disruptions caused by the inspections and repairs to its flagship aircraft. Engineers discovered "limited" numbers - or fewer than 10 - "type two" cracks on both the Nancy-Bird Walton, which has been under repair in Singapore since suffering a mid- air engine explosion in November 2010, and another A380. The latter has been repaired and since returned to service. Advertisement: Story continues below Qantas will inspect another aircraft from its 12-strong A380 fleet next month for the type-two defects. Under the airworthiness directive from the European Air Safety Authority issued last month, airlines have to check their A380s for the type two wing cracks when they reach 1300 flights. "It is fairly evident that this is a global fleet issue and Airbus is paying particularly close attention to it," a Qantas spokesman said. "The cracking poses no risk to A380 safety and the EASA inspection process is the appropriate response. "To date we have inspected two aircraft and found evidence of limited 'type two' cracking on both. Both have now been repaired." The type two cracks have been found in the brackets that attach the plane's wing ribs - frames that extend along the width of the wing - to the wing's metal skin. It was the emergence of the type two cracks that prompted the European authorities to upgrade their advice to airlines last month. The type two defects are regarded as more serious than "type one" cracks, which were also discovered in two Qantas A380s that have been inspected. A manufacturing issue at Airbus has been blamed for the cracks in the relatively new superjumbos, the first of which entered service in 2007. Qantas has not ruled out demanding compensation from Airbus for the disruptions. "We are in discussions with Airbus about the cost implications of the inspection and repair requirements," a spokesman said. Airbus has admitted that the repair bill for the cracks in the wings of A380s worldwide will cost it as much as €105 million ($133 million). Middle Eastern airline Emirates complained this week about the disruptions caused by the continued grounding of the A380s for inspections. Six of its 21 A380s have been grounded while they undergo repairs, and the airline told Bloomberg the disruptions have cost it $US90 million ($86 million) in lost revenue. Airbus has repeatedly said the superjumbos are safe to fly despite the cracks. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/more-cracks-found-in-qantas- a380-wings-20120323-1vojp.html#ixzz1pwhi3b2i Back to Top Colgan seeks to stall official in court CLARENCE CENTER, N.Y. (WIVB) - According to a published report, a retired FAA official may be barred from testifying in civil lawsuits filed by the families of Flight 3407 victims. Christopher Montelton is a former inspector, who criticized the performance of Colgan Air's pilots more than a year before the tragedy. And now, Colgan is reportedly trying to stop him from testifying, claiming he's unable to thoroughly answer questions about the crash. Pilot error was cited as a main cause of the 2009 tragedy that killed 50-people in Clarence Center. New pilot training laws were created after the victims' families pushed for tougher safety standards. http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/erie/colgan-seeks-to-stall-official-in-court Back to Top Pilot accused of violating Air Force One airspace is arraigned The Buellton man arrested after allegedly flying his Cessna airplane containing marijuana into airspace restricted because of a Southland visit by President Obama was arraigned Wednesday in Long Beach. Brian Choppin, 43, was charged with possession of and transporting marijuana for sale. Choppin, who was out on bail following his arrest Feb. 16, was released on his own recognizance by Long Beach Superior Court Judge James Otto, a court official said. An initial hearing in the case is scheduled for April 12. Choppin, who graduated from Wilson High School in Long Beach, could face up to three years in prison on the possession allegation and up to four years on the transportation count. Authorities said Choppin, who was flying a four-seat Cessna 182, violated restricted airspace during a visit by the president. Choppin was forced to land the single-engine plane at Long Beach Airport after being intercepted by two U.S. Air Force F-16s. Law enforcement officials met the aircraft and found what they described as a large amount of marijuana on board. They declined to disclose the exact amount because of their ongoing criminal investigation. Federal officials determined that Choppin's flight did not present a threat to the president and turned him over to Long Beach authorities. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots who use an airplane to transport illegal drugs can face the permanent revocation of their licenses. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/03/buellton-man-who-allegedly-violated- presidents-air-space-arraigned-.html Back to Top Back to Top Pilot's wife suing airplane company March 21--The wife of the pilot in the 2009 crash in Butte that killed 14 people is suing the airplane's manufacturer and the company responsible for the plane's maintenance claiming they are liable for the deadly crash. Janet Summerfield filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Butte district court against Pilatus Aircraft, Martin Aviation Inc. and others seeking unspecified monetary damages. The lawsuit comes almost on the third anniversary of the crash that occurred March 22, 2009. Summerfield's husband, Ellison "Bud" Summerfield, along with all 13 passengers -- who included seven children -- died in the crash. The private plane crashed into Butte's Holy Cross Cemetery, which is located adjacent to the Butte airport. The eight-page complaint alleges that manufacturers of the Pilatus PC-12/45 that Ellison Summerfield, 65, was piloting had a defective fuel system and other components that made the aircraft "unreasonably dangerous." The lawsuit also claims Martin Aviation failed to properly maintain the plane. Missoula attorney William Rossbach is representing Summerfield. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled in July 2011 that the crash was due to pilot error. The board determined that Summerfield cut safety corners and then did not take the appropriate action after discovering a problem with his fuel system. Summerfield, who had 44 years of flying experience, didn't add ice inhibitor to the Pilatus PC-12/45's fuel as required when flying in freezing temperatures, the report concluded. This caused the fuel system to become clogged. The report further concluded that Summerfield didn't make an emergency landing soon enough to the nearest airfield when he discovered a problem. The plane, taking passengers from California to Bozeman for a ski trip, became unbalanced in the flight and he requested a diversion to Butte. The pilot lost control of the plane while attempting to land in Butte, the NTSB's report concluded. The report stated there were too many passengers and too much weight for this type of plane. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10671489/pilots-wife-suing-airplane-company Back to Top Excitement builds over SpaceX flight to ISS First private spacecraft launch to space station a test for future cargo deliveries Anticipation and excitement over the first-ever launch of a private spaceship to the International Space Station next month is steadily building, astronauts and NASA flight controllers said Tuesday. Private space company SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., is preparing to launch its Dragon capsule to the space station April 30. The unmanned capsule will be the first of a new fleet of commercial spacecraft being developed to deliver cargo to the station in the wake of the space shuttle retirement last year. The Dragon capsule will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. If all goes well, it will fly up to the orbiting laboratory, conduct tests, and then dock there May 3. "Our fingers are crossed for SpaceX to launch and successfully come to the space station," NASA astronaut Sunita Williams said during a news conference Tuesday. Williams is due to lift off atop a Russian Soyuz spacecraft July 15, along with a Russian cosmonaut and a Japanese astronaut, to serve on the space station's Expedition 32 and Expedition 33 missions. If SpaceX's April test flight goes smoothly, another Dragon capsule will make the first official cargo delivery run in August, when Williams and her colleagues Yuri Malenchenko of Russia and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan will be aboard the outpost. [ Gallery: Dragon, SpaceX's Private Spacecraft ] "We're really excited," said Williams, who will command the space station's Expedition 33 crew. "Aki and I actually went to California about a year ago for some training with SpaceX and had the opportunity to look around at the company and at what they were doing on the floor building the spacecraft. That was pretty awesome and to see a bunch of really excited engineers and scientists working on this spacecraft was great." Hoshide agreed, saying he supports the development of the commercial space industry. "Getting the commercial sector involved, I think it's a good thing," he said. "It opens up new doors. I'm looking forward to that very much." Yet on the same day that astronauts lauded the private spaceflight rise, members of Congress expressed concerns over the safety and risk of new commercial vehicles during a hearing before the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics. And SpaceX isn't the only company joining the new private space effort. In addition to the California company, NASA has awarded a contract to Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Orbital's Cygnus vehicle could make its first launch to the space station on Sept. 1, with a docking Sept. 6, said NASA's space station program director Mike Suffredini. But first, all eyes will be on SpaceX next month, as it prepares to make a significant step forward in the new partnership between NASA and the private sector. Still, the mission is still a test flight, and Suffredini emphasized that spaceflight is always a risky business. "You want every flight to work exactly as you planned it, but we had initially planned on two demo flights, so if something happens during this flight regardless of what that is, we will learn, SpaceX will learn," Suffredini said. "We need to be careful not to assume that the success or failure of commercial spaceflight is going to hang in the balance of a single SpaceX flight." And SpaceX isn't content to use Dragon for delivering only food and supplies. The company hopes to eventually upgrade its capsule and rocket system to carry people to orbit, including NASA crews to the space station. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46826631/ns/technology_and_science-space/ Back to Top Why airlines have been slow to add Wi-Fi to intercontinental flights Washington (CNN) -- As competition expands among airlines to offer passengers the latest in-flight entertainment options, intercontinental routes have been slow to add Internet service. Because in-flight Internet relies on transmitting signals to the ground, intercontinental flights have yet to find a reliably cost-effective means of providing passengers with Wi-Fi service while over water. The main drawbacks are cost and the added weight of the equipment needed for satellite transmission. Several airlines have plans to roll out transcontinental Internet service this year. This month, Qantas is partnering with a company called OnAir to test satellite-based Internet service aboard flights from Australia to Los Angeles. Japan's JAL intends to roll out Internet service to passengers flying from Japan to Europe and North America this summer. United Airlines is reportedly exploring Internet service on international flights. Emirates Airlines says it plans to test satellite based internet service on its A380 double-deck, wide-body jets. Meanwhile, nearly all U.S. airlines have announced plans to install Internet service and added amenities on domestic aircraft in recent years. In-flight Internet service provider GoGo announced Wednesday that it has reached a deal to expand service aboard US Airways fleet of Airbus A319, A320 and Embraer 190 aircrafts. Delta Airlines recently announced it was partnering with Amazon to provide passengers with free access to shop the online retail giant's website onboard all of Delta and Delta Connection flights with in-flight Wi-Fi service. Back to Top Cessna to build business jets in China BEIJING (AP)-Business jet maker Cessna Aircraft Co. signed agreements Friday with Chinese partners to build business jets in China and explore other aviation opportunities. The Kansas-based company is joining with state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China and the municipal government of Chengdu in western China, where the three plan a joint venture to produce midsize Cessna business jets and possibly new models in the future. China is seen as the most promising major market for the aviation industry. Scott Donnelly, chief executive officer of Cessna's owner Textron Inc., said he expected significant growth in China because of its growing economy and diverse geography. So far, China's private jet market has been dominated by Bombardier and Gulfstream, which make larger jets than Cessna's small and medium-sized aircraft. Cessna officials on Friday said there are about 200 Cessna aircraft in China. Donnelly declined to comment on Cessna's projections for the Chinese market, only saying he expected "very, very robust" growth. The signing between AVIC and Cessna comes two days after Bombardier signed an agreement with state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China to collaborate on common parts for their aircraft. Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC