Flight Safety Information April 19, 2012 - No. 078 In This Issue Paris-to-NYC jet lands safely with blown tire Close call after Jetstar pilot distracted by phone FAA investigates runway incident Passenger restrained on Qantas flight from Perth to Melbourne PRISM ANNUAL SMS AUDIT RESULTS Ex-FAA worker gets prison for flight-test aid FBI arrests man accused of pointing laser at jet and helicopter Swiss installs fire protection system in Avro RJ cargo holds Pinnacle Airlines Corp. COO John Spanjers to Succeed Sean Menke as CEO Paris-to-NYC jet lands safely with blown tire . NEW YORK (AP) - A jetliner bound from Paris to New York with over 200 people aboard landed safely after blowing one of its tires upon takeoff. Delta spokesman Anthony Black says Flight 185 blew the tire while taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport at about 2 p.m. France time. He says tire debris on the runway and a fly-by confirmed the damage. Officials at John F. Kennedy Airport were notified, and fire and rescue units were sent out to meet the plane. Black says the Boeing 767 landed without incident at JFK just after 4 p.m. Wednesday. He says the passengers disembarked after workers inspected the aircraft. He says the two-engine jet has a total of 10 tires - four on each side in the rear, and two on the nose. Back to Top Close call after Jetstar pilot distracted by phone A Jetstar flight from Darwin landing in Singapore narrowly avoided disaster after the captain became distracted by his mobile phone, an investigation has found. In a moment of confusion and miscommunication the pilots forgot to put down the landing gear and had to abort the landing less than 150 metres from the tarmac, The Age reported. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report on the May 27, 2010, incident found the pilots had lost their "situation awareness" and failed to do a landing checklist. Investigators found the captain's mobile phone, which he had forgotten to turn off, began beeping with incoming text messages after the auto-pilot had been deactivated. As the plane descended to Singapore Airport the crew failed to communicate what they intended to do as a cockpit alert and a "too low" ground warning alarm went off. The crew finally aborted the landing and powered up thrust at about 119 metres. Jetstar said lessons learned from the incident had been incorporated into pilot training. "Pilot distraction meant all the landing checklist items weren't completed before the aircraft passed an altitude of 500 feet, at which point a go-around was required under our operating procedures," said Jetstar's Chief Pilot, Captain Mark Rindfleish. "The combination of factors on JQ57 has provided new learnings and the opportunity to add to these safeguards, which we take very seriously." Pilots were reminded to turn off their phones and do landing checklists before reaching 300 metres http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8454197/disaster-averted-after-jetstar-pilot- distracted-by-phone Back to Top FAA investigates runway incident Firefighting vehicle may have encroached The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles got too close to a Memphis International Airport runway last Friday and whether drivers had proper training. The agency said it is looking into whether two vehicles crossed a line intended to keep aircraft and ground vehicles at least 250 feet away from the center of a runway, unless they have permission to enter the runway area. A city spokeswoman said the Memphis Fire Department is working closely with the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, that only one vehicle was involved, and that all personnel were properly trained. "At this time, I can tell you there was only one vehicle involved and it went a few feet over the 'hold' line," Mary Cashiola said. "The driver has been assigned to the airport for years, is a military airport firefighter, and maintains DOD-level (Department of Defense- level) certifications." The Fire Department's airport rescue and firefighting unit operates Station No. 9, an aircraft firefighting facility; Station No. 33, a structural response station; and Unit 19, an advanced life support paramedic ambulance, at the airport. The FAA said it wants to know if vehicles improperly crossed the "hold short" line that's painted across Taxiway E and Runway 18L, the easternmost of three north-south runways. "Aircraft and ground vehicles are required to stop behind this marking and wait for air traffic control permission to enter the runway," an agency statement said. "The investigation will include whether the drivers had the required initial and recurrent training to operate vehicles on the airfield." Airport officials were not immediately available for comment. FAA regulations say the airport must ensure that all rescue and firefighting personnel are trained before beginning their duties and receive recurrent instruction every 12 consecutive calendar months. Training curriculum includes airport familiarization, signs, marking and lighting. The rules also require airport operators to "establish and implement procedures for the safe and orderly access to, and operation in, movement areas and safety areas by pedestrians and ground vehicles..." The firefighters' security credentials were not in question. Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen said the TSA's Kevin McCarthy, federal security director at the airport, verified that "all the current firefighters have all the appropriate security credentials." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/apr/18/faa-investigating-possible- runway-incursion-memphi/ Back to Top Passenger restrained on Qantas flight from Perth to Melbourne (AAP) A PASSENGER has had to be restrained on a Qantas flight from Perth to Melbourne this morning. Passengers have helped crew members restrain the man with cable ties. A Qantas spokesman says the man was being "disruptive and threatening'' on flight QF648 and had to be restrained by cabin crew, an off-duty crew member and some passengers. Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers boarded the plane when it landed in Melbourne at 6am (AEST) today and took the man into custody. The Qantas spokesman says the cabin crew attempted to calm the passenger down but when that failed, they were forced to take action. An AFP spokesperson says the man was restrained in flexi cuffs during the flight. An investigation is now underway. There were 160 passengers on board the three-and-a-half hour red-eye flight. No one was injured. A passenger on the plane, Rob, said the man made threats to staff and the pilot. "They brought the guy up to the front of the plane and he actually woke me up and he said, 'I'm not bothering you am I?'. He yelled out and of course everybody woke up then," Rob told Triple M. "I said, 'Well yeah, you are would you like to go and sit down?' Then he attacked the guy that was standing beside him and then the hostess said, 'Please help, please help.' "About four or five of us jumped up and had to hold him down and put these cable ties on his hands behind his back." He said the incident happened about halfway from Perth to Melbourne and once subdued, the man sat up the back quietly. Back to Top Back to Top Ex-FAA worker gets prison for flight-test aid The former Air Force pilot was sentenced to a year and a day for taking $300 tips from pilots. A 64-year-old former Federal Aviation Administration employee from Burlington County was sentenced Wednesday to one year and a day in prison for accepting $300 tips from pilots to whom he gave flight tests, a lapse in judgment that struck even the judge as incongruous. More than 100 times over seven years, Harrington Bishop accepted the tips. The former Air Force pilot, who lives in Pemberton, wasn't supposed to take payments and he wasn't authorized to give the tests or grant licenses on his days off, as he did. The government did not try to claim that his actions endangered public safety in any way, even though nearly everyone he tested at the Flying W Airport in Medford passed. "I truly regret my actions, sir," Bishop told Judge Robert Kugler during his sentencing at U.S. District Court in Camden on Wednesday. "I had good intentions of assisting fellow military pilots." He explained that he administered flight tests to former military pilots who sought credentials to fly commercial passenger and cargo planes. Usually, he did so on Saturdays at the airport, but only after spending Friday evening instructing them on the difference between military and civilian flight rules. As Edna Bishop, his wife of nearly 41 years, watched in the courtroom, he said he always told his clients that he could not accept payments. But he said a student told him that he wanted to tip him - not for the test, but for the instruction the night before. After he accepted, Bishop said, it spread by word-of-mouth that he should be paid $300. Bishop kept offering the services even after the FAA told him to stop in 2006 and again in 2010. He said nearly all his clients were military pilots. A few were commercial copilots who wanted to move to the captain's seat. Scott McBride, a federal prosecutor, said that when a testing service passes more than about 85 percent of its pilots, inspectors usually monitor it to make sure it's not a "mill." There is no indication that anyone received a license from Bishop who could not have gotten it legitimately, McBride said. Bishop pleaded guilty in October to receiving an illegal gratuity as a public servant and agreed to pay the federal government $70,000 in restitution. Federal sentencing guidelines called for 21 to 24 months in prison. But after reading letters in support of Bishop and hearing in court from his wife and pastor, the judge decided to sentence him to a year and a day. "He's a hardworking man, a military veteran, the kind of guy you go to when you have a problem and need help," Kugler said. "He's very unselfish." Yet Bishop had been told to stop the improper tests, the judge noted. "For reasons none of us understand, he chose to ignore that advice." http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120419_Ex-FAA_worker_gets_prison_for_flight- test_aid.html Back to Top FBI arrests man accused of pointing laser at jet and helicopter A North Hollywood man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging that he pointed a potentially dangerous laser beam at a private jet and a police helicopter, authorities said. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Adam Gardenhire, 18, is accused of shining a green laser beam at a Cessna Citation, operated by Netjets, and a Pasadena Police Department helicopter on the evening of March 29. He was taken into custody at his home. Gardenhire, who faces two counts, is being prosecuted under a new federal law that makes it a criminal offense to deliberately point a laser at an aircraft. His case is the first time the statute has been used on the West Coast and the second time in the nation, authorities said. Gardenhire faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted on both charges. He also is subject to civil penalties by the Federal Aviation Administration. Reports of laser attacks have increased significantly in recent years as the devices have become more affordable and widely available to the public. California, which has consistently led the nation in reported incidents, had more than 3,500 attacks last year. Laser beams can temporarily distract pilots and impair their vision, which is particularly dangerous during takeoffs and landings. Pilots have reported the need to abort landings or turn over control of aircraft to another pilot after being blinded. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/fbi-arrests-man-accused-of-pointing- laser-at-jet-and-helicopter.html Back to Top Swiss installs fire protection system in Avro RJ cargo holds Swiss International Air Lines will install fire detection and suppression equipment in the cargo compartments of its 20-strong BAE Systems Avro RJ fleet. While the US Federal Aviation Administration and Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority have mandated operators of the type to modify their aircraft, the European Aviation Safety Agency has not yet issued a respective directive. The cargo compartments of standard Avro RJs are not fitted with smoke detectors and fire suppression systems, and are thus categorised class D. Class C comprises both safety systems, while the intermediate class E includes only smoke sensors. Swiss contracted BAE Systems to supply the class C equipment, which will be installed in both cargo bays of the aircraft. This will involve fitting fire sensors and piping "from the nose to the tail", the UK manufacturer says. In the cockpit, new control switches will be installed in the overhead panel and the crew alert displays will be changed. The modification kits include fire bottles by Kidde Graviner, control panels by GSS Avionics, piping by Eaton Aerospace and brackets by Gardner Aerospace. Swiss will gradually install the equipment, starting in November. Base maintenance for the aircraft is provided at Lufthansa Technik Switzerland in Basel. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/swiss-installs-fire-protection-system-in-avro- rj-cargo-holds-370598/ Back to Top Pinnacle Airlines Corp. COO John Spanjers to Succeed Sean Menke as CEO Effective June 1 MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (otcmarkets.com:PNCLQ) today announced a leadership transition under which John Spanjers, currently chief operating officer of the company, will succeed Sean Menke as chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2012. Spanjers has been COO at Pinnacle since September 2011, and was president of Mesaba Aviation prior to joining Pinnacle. Menke has chosen to resign from the company on June 1 and will work closely with Spanjers and the other members of Pinnacle's leadership team to support a seamless transition over the next five weeks. Pinnacle does not anticipate this transition will impact the timeline of the company's Chapter 11 proceedings or Pinnacle's ability to successfully restructure and emerge from Chapter 11. "John brings a strong and proven track record of airline leadership," said Donald J. Breeding, Chairman of the Board of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. "Given his prior Chapter 11 experience, John is particularly well-suited to lead Pinnacle's ongoing turnaround efforts and has been actively involved in many of the key initiatives and negotiations during our restructuring process." "Pinnacle has very talented employees and a strong leadership team, and we remain focused on successfully emerging from Chapter 11," said Spanjers. "Our operating performance has remained strong since filing for Chapter 11 protection, and we expect that our operations, supported by a deep bench of talent and committed employees, will continue moving forward." As of Menke's departure on June 1, Pinnacle expects to have achieved a number of important restructuring objectives during the initial 60 days of its Chapter 11 proceedings, including having: Renegotiated key business agreements with Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and EDC; Obtained final approval of its debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing; Completed the Section 1110 aircraft process; Received final court approval of its "First Day motions" to help the company continue to operate in the ordinary course; and, Initiated a collegial and collaborative relationship with the Unsecured Creditors Committee and its advisors. Additionally, the previously-announced search for a new Chief Financial Officer is progressing. About John Spanjers Spanjers received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, and has spent his entire career in the aviation industry. Before joining Mesaba, Spanjers was director of performance engineering for Northwest Airlines. He also held various other positions within the System Operations Control (SOC) organization at Northwest beginning in June 1988 and maintains a current FAA Certified Dispatcher License. About Pinnacle Airlines Corp. Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (otcmarkets.com:PNCLQ), a $1 billion airline holding company with 7,400 employees, is the parent company of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc. Flying as Delta Connection, United Express and US Airways Express, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. operating subsidiaries operate 197 regional jets and 55 turboprops on more than 1,300 daily flights to 182 cities and towns in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Belize. Corporate offices are located in Memphis, Tenn., and hub operations are located at nine major U.S. airports. Visit www.pncl.com for more information. Media Contact: Joe Williams ( 901-346-6162 / jfwilliams@pncl.com) SOURCE Pinnacle Airlines Corp. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC