Flight Safety Information June 1, 2012 - No. 110 In This Issue Regional jet slides off runway in Chicago, no injuries NY garbage plant critics cite bird airplane threat Unruly Toddler Kicked off Flight PRISM CERTIFICATION CONSULTANTS Will the Superjet crash affect the Russian aviation business? Florida Tech Adds New Master's Degree in Aviation Safety GULF FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE AGM - DUBAI 6 JUNE 2012-05-21 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Regional jet slides off runway in Chicago, no injuries CHICAGO (Reuters) - A passenger jet slid off the runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Thursday as it was making an emergency landing but no one was injured. American Eagle Flight 4069 had taken off from O'Hare bound for Tulsa when a warning light began flashing in the cockpit, according to American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller. The pilot declared an emergency and returned the Embraer ERJ-145 twin-engine jet to O'Hare. But shortly after the plane touched down, it veered off the runway and onto a cargo taxiway, Miller said. No one was injured in the incident. The 28 passengers on the aircraft were taken back to the terminal in buses and put on another flight to Tulsa, Miller said. Back to Top NY garbage plant critics cite bird airplane threat NEW YORK (AP) - Critics of a garbage plant near LaGuardia Airport urged a federal appeals court on Wednesday to force the city to defend itself against claims the facility will increase the hazard of collisions between airplanes and birds it attracts. A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments by lawyers for the Federal Aviation Administration and a group called Friends of LaGuardia Airport Inc. but did not immediately rule. The issue was taken to the appeals court after the FAA dismissed the city from an administrative complaint in which the group claimed construction of the waste transfer station will raise the risk of serious bird collisions with planes similar to what happened to US Airways Flight 1549, which was hit by a flock of geese following takeoff from LaGuardia in January 2009 and lost both engines but landed safely in the Hudson River. "It is ultimately about the birds," the group's attorney, Randy Mastro, said outside court. The facility is located 2,200 feet from the end of LaGuardia's Runway 31. Department of Justice lawyer Abby Wright defended the FAA, telling the appeals court that the agency acted properly in dismissing the city from the challenge. In court papers, the government said the FAA has determined that the North Shore Marine Transfer Station is not a hazard to New York's airspace. It said that if that the facility became a threat, the FAA could force changes through the airport's operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, or by ordering a modification of flight procedures to ensure air safety. Friends of LaGuardia said in its court papers: "By removing the city as a respondent to this action, FAA has, once again, given the city a free pass to endanger air safety and human life by constructing a bird-attracting waste transfer station a mere 2,000 feet from the approach end of one of the busiest runways in the world." The FAA prohibits garbage facilities within 2,500 feet of the ends of most runways at major airports. The protected zone can be as small as 1,700 feet when runways such as those at LaGuardia have rules limiting landings during bad weather. The transfer station is scheduled to open next year after four years of construction. After Flight 1549 was forced into the Hudson River, the city agreed to install spikes to discourage birds from perching on the transfer station. It also eliminated ledges on the building and took other steps to scare birds off. At the transfer station, workers will put trash from garbage trucks into containers, which will then be shipped by barge to landfills. The city has said the transfer area will be enclosed and bird-proof. Wednesday's arguments were in a federal appeals court because appeals of certain FAA decisions go directly there rather than to a federal trial court. Back to Top Unruly Toddler Kicked off Flight Alaska Airlines ordered a screaming, squirming toddler off a plane over Memorial Day weekend when he would not stay buckled in his seat. The incident happened Saturday night on a flight from Seattle to Miami -- the first leg of a long journey to the Virgin Islands for Mark Yanchuk, a computer salesman from Everett, Wash., his wife, mother-in-law and two small children. The family was allowed to board early and they split up once on the plane. Yanchuk and his 3-year-old son, Daniel, sat in the main cabin, while his wife, mother-in-law and one-year-old child took their seats in first class. Daniel played with an iPad until passengers were asked to turn off their electronic devices and Yanchuk took the gadget away. "He got a little bit cranky, started screaming, maybe yelling a little bit, crying," Yanchuk told msnbc.com. "During this whole time I'm trying to put him in his seat and his seat belt. I put the seat belt on him but not all the way, so I'm struggling to put in on and he's still yelling." Alaska Airlines spokesman Paul McElroy said flight attendants came to check on the father and the boy several times before departure to try to help calm the child down, but Daniel was restless and wouldn't get buckled in. "He kept lying down in his seat, his legs were dangling over the arm rest. At one point, we did have the seat belt fastened but because the child was lying down, now the belt was across his neck and the flight attendants were worried that he would begin to choke himself,'' said McElroy. Yanchuk disputes that account, saying he would never allow his son to get into such a precarious position. He said he tried to calm Daniel down, but couldn't do it as well as his wife, who was far away. When the boy finally sat up, the plane pushed back from the gate. But then a flight attendant noticed that the child was lying down in his seat again, so the captain was notified and decided to return to the gate, McElroy said. "We certainly regret the inconvenience to this family, but the flight crew in their best judgment did make the necessary decision to direct the family to take another flight," McElroy said, adding it was a safety issue. Yanchuk and his son were asked to leave. His wife, mother-in-law and one-year-old child were told they could continue the trip, but the family didn't want to split up, so all five disembarked. Alaska Airlines offered to rebook them on the same flight the next day, but Yanchuk declined, saying he would be uncomfortable flying the airline again. The family will receive a refund for the flight, McElroy said. Their baggage, which continued on to the Virgin Islands, will be returned soon. The vacation is canceled for now and Yanchuk is still trying to figure out what went wrong. "I think they overreacted. I know you get kicked off planes for dangerous situations like not wearing a seat belt or running around or something dangerous. But I didn't see the situation as being dangerous at all," Yanchuk said. The next time he flies with Daniel, Yanchuk plans to keep the family seated more closely together and try to distract the toddler more, he added. http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Unruly-Toddler-Kicked-off-Flight-155947365.html Back to Top Back to Top Will the Superjet crash affect the Russian aviation business? Since Russia's most advanced Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed in Indonesia, Russian experts have been wondering whether the accident heralds disaster for the entire Russian aviation industry or the Superjet project will have new market opportunities internationally. One of the main questions that aviation specialists have been asking themselves is how the plane, stuffed with state-of-the-art electronics and guided by the best test pilots, could have not seen a mountain right in front of it. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 incorporates all the global security innovations, primarily the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) and the terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). "Third and fourth generation alert systems are installed in all modern planes, including the Superjet", says president of Flight Security partnership Rafail Aptukov. "They are much more precise and better protected from interference; they include unique logical combinations calculated for various in-flight emergencies. They are designed to alert the pilot of a potential collision in good time, so he can avoid it." Aviation specialists also wonder whether the local controllers did their best - some pilots claim that both in Indonesia and the Philippines controllers say "Approved" in response to almost any call from the crew. "I am also concerned that there have been seven plane crashes near Jakarta during the last decade", Rafail Aptukov says. So far, specialists have produced only unofficial versions; the official one will appear after the Indonesian authorities, Russian Industry and Trade Ministry (supported by the Foreign Ministry), Investigation Committee specialists and experts of the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAC) complete their investigation. Yet it appears that it might go on indefinitely, as Indonesian salvage teams immediately said it was barely possible to access the crash site because of the local terrain. This means that it will be very hard to recover large pieces of debris and smaller parts of the plane, a source in the MAC told Itogi, and without them it will be impossible to gain a complete picture of the tragedy. The official version will not be ready for several months at best and the worst- case scenario is that we may never learn what really happened to the plane. Business laws The market for medium-haul aircraft is the most competitive one. What economic consequences should Russia expect? How can its rivals profit from the accident? The investigation had hardly begun when Indonesia's Kartika Airlines, specialising in domestic air service, said it might postpone indefinitely fulfilment of its order for 30 Sukhoi aircraft. It was Kartika Airlines that, in July 2010, contracted purchases of $951 million worth of Sukhoi planes, becoming the first country in South-East Asia to place an order for the Sukhoi Superjet 100. The first deliveries were expected in September 2012. Another Indonesian air carrier that had reached an agreement to buy 12 Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes is Sky Aviation, which was supposed to receive the jets in 2012-2015 for $380 million. Sky Aviation has not yet commented but experts are certain its response will be identical to that of Kartika Airlines. As of today, "hard contracts" (meaning buyers have made down payments) have been concluded for delivery of 168 jets to Russian and foreign air carriers, according to some reports. Furthermore, there are preliminary contracts and agreements of intent to buy about 130 Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes with foreign carriers, including from Spain, the United States and Thailand. Will they change their mind now? The experts questioned by Itogi have doubts that any of them will step back; they will most likely resort to different market strategies instead. "The declaration of the Indonesian company about suspension of deliveries perfectly illustrates the popular slogan 'nothing personal, just business'", says Ruslan Syroedov, who works for a company specialising in lease operations. "You involuntarily pay attention to the possible causes of the crash that were mentioned after the accident - engine failure, faults in the navigation and control systems, while nothing was said about mistakes by the pilots or controllers. This is a clear signal that they will be seeking new discounts and concessions from the supplier. This is a normal situation for the market, especially the Asian market, where you should benefit from your business partner's mistakes." "However, longer-term business projects are little affected by such incidents", says Boris Bychkov, General Director of Airclaims CIS, which provides loss adjustment consultancy, advisory services and analysis in the world of aviation. "The crash will not become a decisive factor for the buyers to terminate contracts. An accident during test flights is no reason to bury the plane. Public opinion may produce an impact, though, especially if we are talking about a company enjoying state support, as political motives can interfere. But I can't rule out that customers might want additional discounts." Air carriers are normally very pragmatic. If an airplane has a type certificate, then there is sufficient proof that it meets all security standards. In February 2012, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 received the Type Certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), meaning that it complies with the standards that all alternative producers have to meet. Contracts will hardly be terminated also because Sukhoi currently supplies the most competitive planes to the global market, especially when it comes to medium-range aircraft for domestic operations. It is for good reason that Secretary General of the Indonesia National Air Carrier Association (INACA) Tengku Burhanuddin has already stated that the crash would not affect the demand for this model. "We need such planes to connect our cities", he said. Sukhoi's competitors in this market segment are well-known - Brazil's Embraer E-Jets (priced at $28.5-40 million), Canada's Bombardier CSeries ($58.28-66.57 million), China's ARJ21 (price not disclosed yet), Russia's An-148 ($24-25 million), Tu-334 and Japan's Mitsubishi Regional Jet. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is available at an average price of $35.4-36.2 million - cheaper than some competitors' models, because the plane uses many western components. Yet the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has an important competitive edge. "It was the first plane to start flying, and it is already in commercial service", says Boris Bychkov. "For all I know, the Chinese have had few orders so far, and the Bombardier and Mitsubishi models are not flying yet - they have just started making the planes and have a few years of tests ahead." Its performance characteristics attributable to the specific nature of the country of origin also count in favour of the Superjet. Small as it might be, the plane has an impressive range. It just falls out of the regional class, with a capacity of up to 100 passengers and range of 4,500 kilometres. This is why ZAO Sukhoi Civil Aircraft believes that most of the demand for its jets will come from South-East Asia. Distances are huge between islands in Oceania, which means that the Russian Superjet will be a welcome option for local carriers. Bets have been placed The crash has produced an adverse impact on the image of the brand; yet many specialists argue that accidents of this kind have happened to many international producers, which managed to deal with the trouble with their heads held high and pride intact. "Airbus also had problems during trial flights", Boris Bychkov says. "The A320 had a crash, and there were troubles with the A380. Boeing had a fire on board a Boeing-787 during trials, before the plane was supplied to Japan. The contracts remained in place." Even so, the consequences of such accidents may be ambivalent for the new jets. "There used to be crashes that effectively put an end to new projects", says editor-in-chief of Avia.ru portal Ruslan Gusarov. "Take the Tu- 144 crash in Le Bourget. The plane never regained the trust of foreign buyers. So the accident in Indonesia might tarnish the image not only of the machine, but also the entire aviation industry in the country." Sukhoi Civil Aircraft will be doing its best to deliver the contracted planes. "The Sukhoi brand is famous not only for its civil aircraft, but also military products", says Olga Kayukova, head of the OAO United Aircraft Corporation press-service. "It is backed by a 70-year reputation. As for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 brand, it has excellent prospects and will be able to find a firm footing in the market." At the same time, some experts see alarming symptoms in the Indonesian crash: "We placed all our bets on a single plane during the last decade, and all our hopes rest with the Superjet now", Ruslan Gusarov says. "We put all our eggs in one basket and may be left with nothing. This policy is fraught with risks for the development of Russia's entire civil aviation industry." http://indrus.in/articles/2012/06/01/will_the_superjet_crash_affect_the_russian_aviation_business_15903.html Back to Top Florida Tech Adds New Master's Degree in Aviation Safety MELBOURNE, FLA.-A major government and private sector need for professionals trained in aviation safety has prompted a new degree at Florida Institute of Technology: the Master of Science in Aviation Safety, which is taught 100 percent through online learning. The degree, offered by the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics, is a companion degree to its Master of Science in Human Factors in Aeronautics which is also available on line. Participants will become expert in safety management systems (SMS); aviation safety analysis, complex aviation systems, accident prevention, human factors and decision-making. Program benefits include: Online convenience Experienced, professional faculty Research opportunities Theory combined with application A 30-credit, non-thesis program The goal of the program is to prepare individuals for advanced leadership positions in the public, private, and military aviation sectors through specific skill and competency training in aviation safety. Class sizes are limited to 15 students. Admission requirements and curriculum information available at: http://www.fit.edu/programs/grad/ms_aviationaviation_safety_online/ http://news.brevardtimes.com/2012/05/florida-tech-adds-new-masters-degree-in.html Back to Top GULF FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE AGM - DUBAI 6 JUNE 2012-05-21 The Gulf Flight Safety Committee, the regional aviation safety forum for the Gulf, will hold its annual general meeting at the Emirates Training Centre in Dubai from 0830 to 1630 on 6 June 2012. In addition to the annual appointment of the executive committee and other GFSC business, there will be the usual mix of incident reviews and industry debate, followed by some informative safety presentations. All existing members are urged to attend and take part in shaping the next steps for the GFSC, and others with an interest in regional safety matters and perhaps thinking of joining are welcome to attend on this occasion. Further information is available on the website www.gfsc.aero and queries should be directed to chair@gfsc.aero or to the current chairman Jo Gillespie jgillespie@gatesaviation.com . Sponsored by NEXUS Flight Operations Services in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Hello, My name is Daniel Carmichael I am working on a research project for my Master of Science degree of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Please accept this email as an invitation to participate in a survey for research It's only twelve questions and your input is anonymous The link to the survey is listed below http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s.asp?sid=u5zzozjdkeeti3060047 Thank you, for your time Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC