Flight Safety Information June 8, 2012 - No. 118 In This Issue Why Nigeria Plane Lost Power Before Crash Still Mystery NTSB to review data recorders from Nigerian crash Wing cracks, other flaws delay China jet manufacture NYC-to-Boston flight aborts landing to avoid jet PRISM Certification Consultants Florida airport security chief among those suspended from TSA Fatal flight detailed (Gulstream G650) Helicopter missing in Peru with 8 South Koreans, 3 Europeans Florida Tech Adds Master's Degree in Aviation Safety through Online Learning Why Nigeria Plane Lost Power Before Crash Still Mystery By Alan Levin (Bloomberg) Nigeria's chief aviation regulator, recommended for suspension after the nation's deadliest accident in almost 40 years, defended his record as several safety advocates said he may become a scapegoat. "Would you please wait for the accident investigation to complete, to have seen the black boxes, before we start judging?" Harold Demuren, director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, asked in a phone interview yesterday. Demuren appealed for patience during the investigation into the Dana Airlines Ltd. crash on June 3. All 153 people on board and an unknown number on the ground were killed when the Boeing Co. (BA) MD-83 jetliner crashed and burst into flames in a Lagos suburb while approaching the airport on a domestic flight. Nigeria's aviation industry had one of the world's worst safety records in 2006, a year after Demuren took his job. Four years later, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave Africa's largest oil producer a Category 1 rating, which allowed its domestic carriers to fly to the U.S. "We have become one of the safest places in Africa," Demuren said, speaking from Nigeria. Nigeria's Senate voted June 5 to recommend that Demuren be suspended. The minister of aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, will convene a panel June 11 to review the nation's aviation oversight system, according to an e-mailed press release. Chaotic System Demuren has come under criticism for an aviation system that he said can be chaotic at times, with flights postponed and carriers not always adhering to schedules. Part of the reason for delays, he said, was that his authority has imposed stricter safety standards that prohibit departures in bad weather. The Flight Safety Foundation, a U.S. non-profit advocacy group, issued a statement this week calling on Nigeria's leaders to "not compound this tragedy" by targeting Demuren. "You can't let a leader go down in Africa if you want to make any change," Bill Voss, president of the Alexandria, Virginia-based foundation, said in an interview June 6. Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, a Geneva-based trade group, also backed Demuren. "Safety is a constant challenge everywhere in the world," Tyler said in a statement. "In Nigeria, as elsewhere, this important work must continue without political interference." Safety Improvements In 2005 and 2006, airlines in Nigeria had three fatal crashes and three others serious enough to destroy the aircraft, according to the AviationSafetyNetwork, a Netherlands- based website that tracks aviation safety statistics. Those accidents killed a total of 322. From that stretch until the Dana Air crash, there was one accident that claimed three lives, according to the group's data. A plane operated by a Nigerian cargo airline, Allied Air, skidded off a runway in Accra- Kotoka Airport in Ghana on June 2, striking a van on an adjacent road, according to the safety network's website. The collision killed 12 people in the van. The Dana flight crew's final radio broadcasts included "Mayday. Losing two engines" and "Throttle not responding. Not responding," Demuren said in the interview, emphasizing he was speaking from memory. The pilot didn't mention hitting birds, which has caused simultaneous loss of power in two engines in other incidents, or any other reason for the failures, he said. The crash-proof recorders on the jetliner, known as black boxes, have been found and will be flown to the U.S. for analysis by the Washington-based National Transportation Safety Board, which is assisting in the investigation, Demuren said. Fueling, Maintenance The jet took on what Demuren characterized as a routine fuel load before departing Abuja, the capital. The crew added 12,125 pounds (5,500 kilos) of jet fuel before the fatal flight, he said. Other aircraft had refueled in Abuja without reports of engine failure, which suggests the fuel wasn't contaminated, he said. Nigeria imposes maintenance requirements similar to those in the U.S. and Europe. Dana had performed maintenance in a facility in Istanbul, he said. Investigators combing the charred wreckage, which was partially lodged in an apartment building, have found all major pieces of the plane, he said. It remained pointed toward the airport when it struck the ground a few miles short of the runway, he said. Engine Failures Accident investigators can tell from the pattern of damage in engines whether they were under power when they struck the ground. No determination has been made on the Dana engines, Demuren said. Today's jet engines are so reliable that it's very unlikely two would fail at once, John Cox, a former airline pilot who is a consultant at Washington-based Safety Operating Systems, said in an interview. Pilots have inadvertently closed fuel switches or shut engines down, mechanics have botched repairs on multiple engines, and engines have quit during extreme maneuvers, according to files at the U.S. NTSB and the AviationSafetyNetwork. Back to Top NTSB to review data recorders from Nigerian crash The National Transportation Safety Board will review flight data recorders from the recent crash of a commercial airliner in Nigeria that killed more than 160 people. A jet being operated by Nigerian airline Dana Air crashed in the country's capital city Lagos last weekend, killing at least 160 people. Speaking at a meeting of the International Aviation Club Thursday, NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said the data recorders from the plane were currently en route to Washington. "They're supposed to arrive tomorrow at Dulles for transport back to our lab," she said. Hersman made the remarks during a speech to the IAC touting international cooperation in accident investigations. "Multi-national interests lead to multi-national accidents," she told the group. "Our investigators have been called to many accident sites, from the Afghanistan mountains to the Amazon jungle. We are safer when we work together." Hersman said the NTSB was similarly farming out the investigation of a recent crash between two small airplanes in Virginia. The planes that were involved belonged to the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, Hersman said, so the agency was bringing in Canadian transportation officials to lead the investigation. "I was concerned about our ability to conduct a truly independent investigation," she said after noting earlier in her speech that the NTSB's chief medical inspector was killed in the accident. Hersman told the IAC the decision was made easier by the cooperation between Canadian and U.S. transportation safety officials. "We're trying to work more effectively across boundaries to learn from accidents," she said. http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/aviation/231549-ntsb-to-review-data- recorders-from-nigerian-crash Back to Top Wing cracks, other flaws delay China jet manufacture BEIJING (Reuters) - When China set a goal to leap from being a tiny aerospace-industry player to a direct threat to Airbus and Boeing, few scoffed at the idea, given Beijing's track record of using deep government pockets to push state-owned firms up the ladder. But as leaders of the global aerospace industry gather in Beijing for an International Air Transport Association meeting that kicks off on Sunday, a closer examination by Reuters shows that the potential challenge from China might be greatly overblown, and that its aircraft sector is unlikely to pose any credible competition for at least a decade. To start with, a host of design flaws have delayed approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China for the country's first homegrown passenger jet -- a 90-seat ARJ21 "regional" plane. That in turn is likely to set back the country's bigger ambition, to dent Airbus (EAD.PA) and Boeing's (BA.N) global stronghold with a 737-sized airplane of its own. In interviews with executives from three different technology suppliers working with Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) CMAFC.UL to develop passenger jets, Reuters has learned that various tests over the past two years have identified flaws in the ARJ21's wings, wiring and computer systems. During a stress test in mid-2010, the wings of the ARJ21 broke, or "cracked" in one executive's description, before the pressure applied reached regulatory norms. In further examinations conducted last year, the avionics system -- the brain of the plane -- failed at times to work properly, highlighting what one of the three suppliers executives described as a "system integration problem." Faults in the wiring were also discovered in those tests, according to the supplier executives. The results of the tests have been rumoured among industry insiders, but the Shanghai- based aircraft maker has never spoken publicly about them. "You should have seen the faces (of Comac engineers and executives)" said one of the three suppliers, who was at the 2010 test in a lab in the central Chinese city of Xi'an, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There was uncomfortable silence in the room." Comac declined to comment on the matters raised in this report. But it said one version of the plane - the ARJ21-700 - completed a nearly two-hour test flight in February this year. China's civil aviation regulator could not be reached for comment. MORE TESTS The ARJ21's troubles are more than a blow to Chinese pride. They highlight the country's struggle to become a producer of high-tech items from bullet trains to large commercial jetliners. Indeed, recent experience shows that money does not guarantee success in high-tech industries. A rail accident in July 2011 killed 40 people, undermining China's portrayal of the rapid expansion of its high-speed railway network as a sign of its growing technological might. Comac's plane, which was designed to compete with models from Canada's Bombardier Inc. (BBDb.TO) and Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) of Brazil, is undergoing more tests. A Comac official said last month the ARJ21, which is central to Beijing's aerospace push, was unlikely to win regulatory approval before 2013, putting the project about five years behind its original schedule, without offering a reason. The delays and difficulties are likely to set back Comac's larger ambition - to start delivering the 160-seat C919 jetliner by 2016, a timetable that would have put it on track by the second half of the decade to challenge Airbus (EAD.PA) and Boeing's (BA.N) dominance of the global market for large passenger aircraft. "There is the very serious risk that by the time the C919 enters service (we think three years late is a good estimate), Airbus and Boeing are offering products that make this jet look obsolete," wrote Richard Aboulafia of U.S.-based consulting firm Teal Group Corp. in a research report. "It would be wrong to dismiss a threat from any competitor, but it may have been wildly overblown" in the case of Comac, said a senior Boeing executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Comac has never publicly explained the project's delays. The firm's chief financial officer Tian Min told Reuters last month the company was still on track to gain certification for the C919 by 2016, as originally scheduled. He did not elaborate. Securing regulatory approval for the C919 by 2016 would, in theory, give Comac a jump of about half a decade over Airbus and Boeing, which do not plan to launch completely redesigned A320 and B737 planes respectively until around 2020. But the ARJ21's delay could squander that time advantage, since the effort to fix its problems would hinder the ability to design the C919 on schedule. Also, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says it would not consider accepting China's certification for the C919 until it completes a technical pilot assessment of the capability of its Chinese counterpart to certify the ARJ21 to FAA's airworthiness requirements. FAA certification, which is recognised globally, is critical if the C919 is to succeed in the international market. NO FOCUS ON OTHERS Rivals did not want to comment officially on Comac's problems. Boeing does not "focus on others' issues but focuses on our customers, on our current products and on future product development," said Wang Yukui, a Beijing-based spokesman for Boeing. Airbus said in a statement that "China has the resources and the ambition to design and build the C919 but must also demonstrate better performance, reliability, infrastructure, services and trust to match the well-established A320." Most aerospace insiders already dismiss the ARJ21's threat to established global commercial jetliner producers. In the absence of cutting-edge equipment and systems built outside China that Comac failed to procure, "it has turned into an overweight and stunningly obsolete product that has no relevance outside of China's tiny regional airline sector," Teal Group's Aboulafia said in his research notes. "The Chinese would like to remove it from the picture but they can't because it might be needed to help certify the C919," Aboulafia told Reuters. Still, Airbus and Boeing have no choice but to take Comac seriously. China is one of the world's biggest markets for passenger jets, with demand estimated by Boeing to be around $480 billion over the next two decades. The Western planemakers fear China's state-controlled airlines might be compelled to buy Comac aircraft rather than their own planes. The senior Boeing official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the C919 "could still be a threat to Boeing and Airbus, if they are patient and design the airplane right and get it approved eventually." Several suppliers in the U.S. and elsewhere are working on the C919 to help Comac come up with a competitive large jetliner. Those include CFM International Inc., a joint venture between GE (GE.N) and France's Snecma (SAF.PA) which won a $10 billion contract to make the Chinese plane's engines, as well as Rockwell Collins (COL.N), Eaton Corp. (ETN.N) and Honeywell (HON.N). One executive with a technology supplier said that in his experience in working with aircraft producers, the kind of delays Comac is now experiencing may be normal. "You have to remember," he said, "Comac is building airplanes that they've never built before." Back to Top NYC-to-Boston flight aborts landing to avoid jet BOSTON (AP) -- An air traffic controller at Boston's Logan International Airport told an incoming flight from New York City to abort its landing after another jet taxied onto the runway without authorization. Authorities say the Delta flight circled and made a safe landing just after 4 p.m. Thursday. The American Airlines flight on the ground was headed to Dallas and took off as scheduled. No one on either flight was hurt. It was not clear how close the two jets came to each other. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. The FAA didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Friday morning. Last July, the wing of a large passenger jet clipped the tail of a smaller aircraft at Logan, causing serious damage to both aircraft. One person went to a hospital. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/08/4547661/nyc-to-boston-flight- aborts-landing.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Back to Top Florida airport security chief among those suspended from TSA WASHINGTON - The head of federal security at Southwest Florida International Airport was one of the 42 Transportation Security Administration workers disciplined last week after an internal investigation found hundreds of random screenings were not performed last year, TSA Administrator John Pistole said Thursday. The director of TSA at the airport, his deputy, and a manager "who had the oversight of the situation" have all been disciplined, Pistole told members of the House Homeland Security subcommittee that oversees transportation security. The airport's TSA director is Bob Cohen, but Pistole did not identify him by name in his testimony. Cohen declined comment when reached on his cell phone. He referred questions to TSA's public affairs office in Washington. A TSA spokesman later confirmed the three supervisors were among 37 workers who received two-week suspensions that can begin as early as next week. Five front-line screeners also are facing dismissal in what's been described as one of the largest disciplinary actions TSA has taken in its 10-year history. "If there is an immediate issue with security, we suspend them right away so they are not on the job affecting security," Pistole told the subcommittee. "These individuals that were found to be most responsible were proposed for dismissal. The other (37) were proposed for suspension, based on their activity and their responding to their culpability ... Did they know or should have known what was going on?" Thursday's subcommittee hearing was called to focus on criticisms that TSA is too aggressive in pulling people out of airport security lines and patting them down. Subcommittee chairman Mike Rogers, R-Al., told Pistole the American public has become "disgusted" with a screening process that confiscates pocketknives and water bottles and performs "invasive searches" on low-risk passengers. Rogers also said the agency should be aggressive about weeding out incompetent employees such as the ones in Fort Myers. "I agree," Pistole told him. "When we find people not doing the job, we'll give them due process but we will hold them accountable and we will fire them." "Well I hope so," Rogers replied. "Because the American public's paying for that and they're standing in the lines and they're seeing this and I really think it would help that image problem that the department's got." The Southwest Florida International workers were disciplined based on an internal investigation triggered by a fellow employee's tip. Investigators found that up to 400 passengers who underwent routine screening at the airport during a two-month period last year never got additional random checks. The 42 workers represent about 15 percent of TSA's work force at the airport. The agency has brought in screeners from other airports to fill in for the five who face dismissal and have been removed. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/259353/4/Florida-airport-security-chief- among-those-suspended-from-TSA Back to Top Fatal flight detailed (Gulstream G650) Although a full report, including probable cause and contributing factors is still months away, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's recently released "factual findings" indicate a Gulfstream G650 test aircraft had experienced two previous wing- drop incidents before its fatal crash on April 2, 2011, in Roswell, N.M. The G650 - designed N652GD and the second of five test aircraft to go into service - was conducting performance tests at the Roswell airport when the plane's right wingtip suddenly dipped on takeoff, scraping the runway. According to the NTSB, witnesses close to the scene saw the airplane sliding on the ground with sparks and smoke and subsequent full involvement with fire while it was still moving. The two flight-test pilots and two flight-test engineers on board survived the initial impact but were almost immediately overcome by smoke and fire and were not able to exit the aircraft. The crew had been performing their ninth flight of the day, a heavy take-off weight field test with the right engine idle - a test used to determine the lift-off and climb-out speeds needed to develop procedures for pilots in the event of engine failure late in a take-off run. Post-crash analyses revealed the stall angle for the aircraft to be lower than originally anticipated. In a report to the NTSB released this week, Gulfstream indicated the company "accepts full responsibility for the accident." "Developmental flight test is inherently risky, but risks can and should be appropriately mitigated," the report stated. "The causal and contributing factors described below are human errors that are best understood within the context of each individual's duties at Gulfstream, and Gulfstream's obligations to provide appropriate levels of support. "As such, all actions leading to the accident are Gulfstream's actions." Among the causal factors listed by Gulfstream were: * The stall angle of attack in ground effect and the maximum coefficient of lift in ground effect were overestimated. (Ground effect refers to the increased lift and decreased drag an aircraft wing generates when it is about one wingspan's length or less over the ground.) * The takeoff speed schedule was not properly developed or verified, resulting in an unachievable test point for the accident run. * Gulfstream's internal analysis, review and approval processes did not identify those two errors prior to field performance flight testing. * Two prior (wing drop) events in the G650 field performance program and other flight test anomalies arising from these improper speed schedules were not widely reviewed or properly understood. In its report, Gulfstream also listed factors it believes contributed to the crash. Among them: * The unexpected roll angle excursion may not have been initially detected and was not fully countered by the crew until just prior to initial wingtip strike. Reduction in angle-of- attack (to break the stall and restore lateral control power) was insufficient to safely fly the aircraft away, and the crew elected not to abort the takeoff (which may have been a viable option). * The failure to reduce power after exiting the runway may have exacerbated the collisions that caused the fire. * Turbulent air during takeoff caused the airspeed to be unsteady, which likely caused the pilot flying some difficulty achieving the target takeoff speeds. Corrective actions In addition to accepting full responsibility for the accident, Gulfstream's report also indicated it would hold itself responsible for the development and implementation of corrective actions. Following the accident, Gulfstream conducted detailed additional analysis of in-ground effect stall, the report adds. As a result, those stall characteristics are well understood and have been incorporated into the aircraft's stall warning system. Revised speed schedules also have been developed and tested, using improved methods, and have been confirmed through flight testing as accurate. Based on the results of the NTSB factual investigation as well as other safety reviews, Gulfstream has implemented many safety enhancements, according to the report. The company has created an Aviation Safety Officer position, reporting directly to the president of the company. Gulfstream has also improved documentation, processes and procedures, increased support of flight test by design engineering, convened more detailed and frequent flight test safety review boards and improved onboard emergency equipment for test aircraft to better protect aircrews. No mechanical, systems failures With more than 200 orders for the G650 on Gulfstream's books, the impact of the NTSB and Gulfstream reports are unclear. Because the full NTSB report has not been released and the accident investigation is considered to be ongoing, Gulfstream officials could not comment beyond the content of their report, according to spokeswoman Heidi Fedak. The report did stress, however, that the accident "was specific to developmental flight test and has no meaningful implications for the in-service operations of the G650. "The investigation revealed no mechanical or systems failures whatsoever. Engines, flight controls and other components performed as expected." ABOUT THE JET Scheduled for first customer deliveries in 2012, the Savannah-built G650 is Gulfstream's flagship business jet, offering the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet. It is capable of traveling 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach or 5,000 nautical miles at 0.90 Mach. Using an advanced aerodynamic design, the G650 has a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, allowing it to avoid airline-traffic congestion and adverse weather. ON THE WEB * To read the NTSB's "factual findings, go to http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=50904&CFID=1654&C... * To read Gulfstream's report, go to http://dms.ntsb.gov/public%2F50500-50999%2F50904%2F493502.pdf http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2012-06-08/fatal-flight-detailed Back to Top Helicopter missing in Peru with 8 South Koreans, 3 Europeans LIMA, Peru (AP) - Snow and fog impeded efforts Thursday to locate a helicopter that went missing in Peru's highlands with 14 people aboard, including eight South Koreans and three Europeans. Authorities said the aircraft's emergency beacon indicated it was on rugged terrain. The last communication with the helicopter owned by Cuzco-based Helicusco was late Wednesday afternoon as it headed for Cuzco from the town of Mazuco in neighboring Madre de Dios state, said police Gen. Hector Dulanto. The helicopter was carrying eight South Koreans, a Swede, a Czech, a Dutchman and three Peruvians, two of them crew members, he said. Police earlier said the aircraft's passengers were 11 South Koreans, two Austrians and a Peruvian. The chopper was flying near Huallahualla, a town located at about 13,200 feet (4,000 meters) when communications were lost, said Dulanto, who was in charge of rescue operations. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the helicopter's distress beacon indicated it was near a peak called Apu Colque Cruz in Cusco's Quispicanchi province. Dulanto said snowfall had prevented an overflight of the area but that a chopper provided by Helicusco had dropped a police patrol and a high mountain rescue team in the area to begin a search. "It wasn't possible to locate the helicopter either by air or ground," he told The Associated Press. "The area has snow, 30 centimeters or more, which makes walking difficult. In addition, the fog is not allowing air patrols." Helicuso did not identify the type of aircraft that was missing. It's website says it operates one craft capable of such a passenger load: A Sikorsky S-58ET. An official at the Korean Embassy in Lima said those aboard were not tourists, but were involved in commercial operations. The official, Kristel Velez, said no more information was immediately available but that two embassy officials had traveled to Cuzco. Back to Top Florida Tech Adds Master's Degree in Aviation Safety through Online Learning 05/31/2012 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/ For more information, contact Steve Cusick, associate professor, at (321) 674-7470 or at scusick@fit.edu Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC