Flight Safety Information March 29, 2012 - No. 063 In This Issue IFATCA blows whistle on Chile Family kicked off plane after children, three and eight, 'refused to fasten seatbelts' Huerta Nominated To Head FAA PRISM ANNUAL SMS AUDIT RESULTS 2010 airplane crash: 'AirBlue to compensate heirs only if cases are withdrawn' (Pakistan) Fiji takes control of national airline from Qantas IFATCA blows whistle on Chile An international air traffic controller organisation is urging action in Chile where working conditions represent a 'serious concern'. IFATCA said it had been alerted to the situation by its member association the College of Air Traffic Controllers of Chile which has reported a severe deterioration in conditions. IFATCA, which represents over 50,000 air traffic controllers in more than 130 countries, said Chile had apparently stalled in its pursuit to improve its air traffic management system to ensure the provision of safe, secure and efficient air traffic services. "It may even have reversed course," it said. "Refresher courses; vacation and necessary rest breaks are cut or denied by the authorities; a retirement system that does not ensure an adequate pension; and contractual inequality with different types of contracts in the same unit," said IFATCA. "Further, equipment is operated without the necessary maintenance and support; the training school has inadequate resources, and retired controllers are brought back on duty to meet shortages." "Even more damning, the authorities may have ignored a study documenting serious human factors effects, such as stress, on the staff. As a result, highly trained air traffic controllers have left these low wages and poor working conditions for employment in other area of the public and private sectors with better working conditions." Alexis Brathwaite, IFATCA president and chief executive said: "Our member associations around the world strive to work with their authorities to maintain mutually agreed working conditions appropriate to the profession. These are specifically defined to ensure the safety of air operations, with minimum and maximum working hours, limited overtime, legally regulated breaks and vacation periods that allow recovery and manages the risk of fatigue; provides job security, opportunities for career progression and the level of job satisfaction that ensures that professional services are provided at all times by highly motivated staff." "Compromised working conditions will compromise the ability of even the most highly committed professionals," continued Brathwaite. "Given the growth being experienced by the aviation industry in Chile, the risks to safety are exacerbated if the situation is not improved immediately." IFATCA said it is calling on Chilean government authorities, to pay special attention to the regulations governing the work of its air traffic controllers and implement the appropriate improvements to achieve the necessary standards of aviation safety. "This and only this would fulfill the promise and hopes that sprung from 1999 when Chile sought to take its place among States providing an ATM system that rigorously meets international standards without compromise," it said. http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2012/03/ifatca-blows-whistle-on-chile/ Back to Top Family kicked off plane after children, three and eight, 'refused to fasten seatbelts' An airplane was grounded mid-flight on Tuesday after two young children refused to fasten their seatbelts. The Alaska Airlines flight was scheduled to travel between Long Beach, California, and Vancouver, Canada. But it was forced to land in Portland, Oregon, when the children, aged three and eight, refused to stay in their seats. The children and their parents were kicked off the flight and met by police officers. After being spoken to by officials, the family was allowed to continue its journey on another plane. Alaska Airlines spokesman Marianne Lindsey said police talked with the family after the flight landed in Portland on Tuesday night. An Alaska Airlines supervisor then talked to the family about the need to comply with federal air regulations that require children to remain buckled in their seats for safety. Ms Lindsey said the supervisor then escorted the family to make their connecting Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Seattle, Washington. That flight was uneventful. She declined to release any additional information about the family, citing privacy concerns. Chris Heistand, a passenger on the flight forced to set down in Portland, said he thought the captain's decision to boot the family off may have been an overreaction. He told KATU News: 'I think we all need to have some sort of tolerance. 'Everybody's trying to get from point A to point B. We're all in the same boat in a sense - the same plane, right?' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122000/Family-kicked-plane- children-refused-fasten-seatbelts.html#ixzz1qVgsCIP5 Back to Top Huerta Nominated To Head FAA President Obama has nominated Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to take the position for a five-year term. Huerta was elevated to the post from deputy administrator in December after former FAA boss Randy Babbitt was arrested for drunk driving and resigned the post. Huerta must be confirmed by the Senate before getting the job but analysts don't seem to view that as an issue. Indeed, Huerta, whose background is in transportation but not specifically aviation, has kept a fairly low profile since taking over. Leaders of various aviation groups have been congratulatory if not laudatory in their reaction. AOPA President Craig Fuller said he "appreciated the attention [Huerta] has given to the concerns of general aviation" and said he looked forward to a "constructive and productive working relationship" with him. Aircraft Electronics Association President Paula Derks said she was surprised at how quickly Obama made the nomination but was happy he did. "There are too many challenging issues in the immediate future, including NextGen implementation and the UAV mandate in 2015, to delay appointing a permanent administrator to lead the agency." EAA acknowledged the appointment but there was no immediate reaction from President Rod Hightower. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Huerta_Nominated_FAA_206415-1.html Back to Top Back to Top 2010 airplane crash: 'AirBlue to compensate heirs only if cases are withdrawn' (Pakistan) Many victims of the 2010 crash could not be identified despite DNA testing. PESHAWAR: Budget airline AirBlue has decided to compensate heirs of the 2010 crash victims if they withdraw their lawsuits against the company, the petitioners' counsel told Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday. "AirBlue has communicated to petitioners that compensation will be given to them once they step down and cases are withdrawn from court," Umer Farooq Aadam, who is representing the aggrieved families, told a divisional bench of the PHC, which is headed by Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan. He said that despite court orders, the company has not paid compensation, which is worth Rs5 million. "File a contempt of court application and submit it," the chief justice told Aadam, adding that the court will continue with the case until the heirs of the last victim were compensated. Aadam told The Express Tribune that the airline's administration, in order to protect 152 companies that can be held responsible for the crash, had also asked the heirs to sign a universal relief agreement, which bars them from filing a petition against these companies anywhere in the world. PIA inspection In an earlier hearing, CJ Khan had ordered the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to arrange inspection of aircraft of national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other private companies and an examination of CAA's own performance by experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The order was passed over reports that many PIA planes were unsafe. Abdul Rehman Abbasi, CAA's senior law officer, informed the court on Tuesday that a letter has been sent to the ICAO to send a team of experts. "They (ICAO) have sought time to send a team but to avoid further delay in inspection of aircraft, we request that a retired senior judge of the high court be appointed to inspect PIA's planes," he said. But the CJ said that foreign experts should inspect PIA aircraft. "Why are you apprehensive of foreign experts? We have received information that substandard spare parts are being used to replace damaged ones. We know that a company grounded 65 aircraft when one of its aircraft crashed," he said. Speaking about the AirBlue crash, Abbasi told the court that all transcripts, including that of the pilot's conversation with the control tower, radar and co-pilot, were available and could be produced before the court. DNA tests of crash victims Many crash victims could not be identified despite DNA testing at KRL Hospital in the federal capital, an official of Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences told the court on Tuesday. However, Junaid Hamid, a relative of a crash victim told The Express Tribune that KRL had demanded Rs4.6 million from AirBlue for conducting the tests but the company refused and DNA tests were never conducted. The report offered to be produced before the court is fake, he said. Ministry of defence Thirty-seven of 84 applicants had been compensated while 22 cheques are ready for distribution, according to Tanveerul Islam, counsel for the defence secretary, who appeared before the court on Tuesday. He said the heirs were paid Rs0.5 million each. Barrister Momin, who also represented the defence ministry, told The Express Tribune that the Sindh High Court had directed district and sessions judges to dispose of applications of all successors pertaining to the compensation case within ten days of the date the application is filed. http://tribune.com.pk/story/356230/2010-airplane-crash-airblue-to-compensate-heirs- only-if-cases-are-withdrawn/ Back to Top Fiji takes control of national airline from Qantas WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Fiji's military government says it is taking control of the country's national carrier Air Pacific from Australian company Qantas. The government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama has issued a decree saying that all Fijian-registered carriers must now be owned and controlled by Fijian nationals. Fiji already owns a majority stake in the airline, holding 51 percent of it while Qantas owns 46.3 percent. But Fijian Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said Qantas since 1998 has exercised effective control over the carrier because Qantas-appointed board members enjoy supermajority and veto rights. Qantas did not respond to requests for comments Wednesday. "It's an open secret that Qantas has proposed to sell their stake to the Fijian government," said Sayed-Khaiyum. He said the two groups haven't been able to agree on a price and that Fiji is hoping Qantas will agree to a binding independent valuation of its stake. He added the decree has nothing to do with the potential sale. However, the Fijian government's latest move could negatively impact the value of the stake to Qantas and to any interested third parties. In a question-and-answer statement on the change, the Fijian government said it is "false and misleading" to think Fiji is nationalizing the airline and depriving Qantas of its shareholder rights. Qantas will retain its ownership stake and its right to dividends, according to the Fijian government, but will no longer be able to exercise control over the annual operating budget, the appointment of the airline's chairman, the addition of new routes or a host of other management decisions. Fiji claims Qantas has been directly competing with Air Pacific through Qantas's wholly owned subsidiary, Jetstar. Air Pacific is responsible for carrying more than 70 percent of visitors to Fiji, the government said, making it a vital part of the tourism industry, which accounts for one- third of the Pacific island nation's economy. Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji has recently extended its diplomatic relations with a number of countries and would like to have the ability to fly to new places. "We want to be able to expand beyond our region," he said. In its last financial year, Air Pacific Group, which also owns a stake in a Fijian resort, reported an after-tax profit of 25 million Fijian dollars ($14 million) on revenues of 587 million Fijian dollars ($328 million). Bainimarama has promised to oversee a process to introduce a new constitution to Fiji and to hold democratic elections in 2014. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-03/D9TP9QIO0.htm Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC