Flight Safety Information June 18, 2012 - No. 124 In This Issue TSA proposes firing 7 Philadelphia airport employees for accepting bribes Jersey Airport Blue Island plane crash probe begins NTSB releases findings on Kane County plane crash that killed four Aircraft overshoots runway in Abuja Global airline safety improves, but African record still a concern ARGUS PROS Aviation Auditing Pioneering female pilot who flew Spitfires during Second World War and became magazine cover girl dies at 91 Northrop Grumman Unveils U.S. Navy's First MQ-4C BAMS Unmanned Aircraft Airport sells off Duchess's lost diamond tiara 2012 First Annual FAA Flight Standards Asia-Pacific Meeting TSA proposes firing 7 Philadelphia airport employees for accepting bribes Seven Transportation Security Administration employees at Philadelphia International Airport face losing their jobs after an eight-month internal investigation into an alleged bribery scandal, the agency announced Friday. The agency said it removed 10 employees from security duties last November pending the results of the investigation by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. "Since that time, three of the employees involved have resigned from TSA and seven others have been notified of TSA's proposed action to terminate their employment," the agency said in a release. According to the release, "a training instructor responsible for administering annual proficiency exams was found to have accepted payment from TSA security officers to ensure passing grades." The training instructor pleaded guilty in February to a charge of bribery, the agency said. "Any employee who willfully violates TSA rules will be held accountable for their conduct and appropriately disciplined," said Chris McLaughlin, the agency's assistant administrator. This latest incident comes two weeks after 43 Transportation Security Administration workers in Florida were disciplined for not performing additional screening on random carry-on bags and passengers. Last month, after a series of breaches at Newark Airport, a Homeland Security inspector general report found the agency is failing to adequately report, track and fix security breaches at airports. The agency responded to those incidents with "corrective action," according to the inspector general, but not all the problems received the same treatment. "There's a TSA disaster every week, and the security meltdown gets more and more outrageous," said Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a release put out by his office on Friday. Mica, who has repeatedly called for privatizing Transportation Security Administration, said reforms "can't come soon enough." He added that hundreds of U.S. airports "still operate under the Soviet-style all-federal screening model." The Transportation Security Administration said that upon learning about the bribery allegations in Philadelphia, it notified the inspector general and worked closely with law enforcement during the investigation. http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/national/tsa-proposes-firing-7-philadelphia- airport-employees-for-accepting-bribes Back to Top Jersey Airport Blue Island plane crash probe begins The undercarriage of the Blue Islands ATR 42 from Guernsey, with 43 people on board, collapsed after it landed on Saturday morning. No-one was hurt, but the accident closed the runway and flights were suspended for nearly eight hours. Extra airport staff were called in to help deal with thousands of passengers who had been stranded. Three AAIB officers have flown to Jersey to determine the cause of the crash. Blue Islands said an "unknown" mechanical failure caused the plane's left-hand landing gear to collapse. 'Patience' The airport stayed open until after midnight to clear the backlog of passengers. It said no additional charges would be made against airlines who normally have to pay if the airport stays open beyond normal operating hours. More than 5,000 passengers were due to fly out of Jersey on 100 flights on Saturday, which is the airport's busiest days of the week. Stephen Driscoll, operations director for Ports of Jersey, apologised to passengers for the disruption caused by the crash, but said safety had to come first. "The safety of passengers, aircraft and crew is of paramount importance to us and I would like to thank staff and associated agencies for their hard work in handling what has been a difficult, but fortunately a rare occurrence. "In particular we would like to relay our thanks to passengers and airport users for their patience and understanding of the situation." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-18476461 Back to Top NTSB releases findings on Kane County plane crash that killed four The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings into a fatal sightseeing plane crash that left four Las Vegas men dead in remote Kane County. Federal investigators said the plane was maneuvering at 2 p.m. May 29 about 22 miles southeast of Cedar City - near Utah's Zion National Park - when it struck mountainous terrain, killing the pilot - Joshua Stubblefield, 31 - and his three passengers - Chris Spircu, 44, Paul Andrews, 32, and Todd Stuntzner, 45. Investigators said the pilot had not filed a flight plan for the cross-country flight, but said it landed in Mesquite, Nev., about 11:30 a.m. local time where it refueled and took off again about 25 minutes later. Stubblefield, investigators said, had planned to fly to Bryce Canyon Airport. But when the plane didn't arrive as scheduled, someone reported it missing and search crews located the wreckage about 7:30 p.m. May 29 on the western slope of a mountain ridge about seven miles southwest of Duck Creek Village. Investigators who arrived at the crash site on May 31 said the crash did not cause a fire and that all the components necessary for flight were accounted for. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54320275-78/crash-investigators-plane- flight.html.csp Back to Top Aircraft overshoots runway in Abuja Another mishap was avoided over the weekend at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as a British Airways aircraft overshot the runway owing to an alleged failure of the airfield lighting on the runway. However, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, denied that the failure of the airfield lighting at the airport was responsible for the incident. A British Airways Boeing 747 had arrived at the Abuja airport at 0515 on Saturday, but as the pilot was trying to taxi the aircraft to the apron, the airfield lighting on the runway packed up, which forced the pilot to overshoot the taxiway. The aircraft was then forced to remain on the runway for close to an hour before the fault was rectified. Udoh however, said that the incident occurred because of the closure of part of the taxiway owing to the ongoing repairs on the runway. "British Airways landed safely. I told them that a lot of work is going on at Abuja airport. Some of the links were closed. It landed at 0400 hours and because it is a 747, it passed where it would turn right and then went towards one of the links that was closed and it needed to turn right there. The only thing for him (the pilot) to do there was to do what we call back track on the runway, but he preferred to turn right. "He waited for a couple of minutes and the right link was opened and the man turned right. The era of airfield lighting failure at Abuja airport is over. It is verifiable," Udoh said. He added that the aircraft did not cause any delay on the runway. http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/aircraft-overshoots-runway-abuja Back to Top Global airline safety improves, but African record still a concern The overall safety situation in the civil aviation industry has shown marked improvement in the last few years, thanks to interventions by organisations like the International Air Transport Association (Iata) and other stakeholders. Last year, the number of accidents globally involving aircraft dropped to 2.4 incidents for every one-million departures from 2.6 incidents in 2010. "These statistics include both Eastern- and Western-manufactured jet and turboprop aircraft, and the severity includes hull loss and substantial-damage accidents," Iata senior VP for safety, operations and infrastructure Gunther Matschnigg said at a press briefing in Beijing last week. He said the improvement in sub-Saharan Africa's safety performance, by 61%, was the most substantial, followed by the Middle East and North Africa, at 25%. However, there was a worsening of about 20% in each of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Focusing on Western-built jet hull losses only, Matschnigg said the accident rate for all aircraft for the first quarter of 2012 was 0.19 incidents for every one-million departures, with the rate for Iata-affiliated airlines being zero. "As far as Western-built aircraft are concerned, there is a positive trend for North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the CIS and North Asia - all these regions had had zero hull losses until April this year," he said. "Europe and Asia-Pacific, unfortunately, were worse than the 2011 rates." While Africa - along of other regions - had shown some improvement, it remained a cause for concern, with a safety record nine times worse than that of the rest of the world. It was mostly non-Iata airlines, which were not subjected to the organisation's Iata Operational Safety Audit (Iosa), whose aircraft were involved in accidents. Africa's poor air safety record prompted the convening of an Iata summit in Johannesburg last year, where an intervention plan was agreed on. This included supporting African governments in strengthening oversight programmes, dealing with the causes of runway excursions, the introduction of auditing for non-Iata member airlines, improving training and wider monitoring of flight data in Africa. Matschnigg was at pains to explain that, despite the recent crash in Nigeria, which killed all the 100-plus people on board, there was a general improvement in civil aviation safety, with runway excursions, the major cause of accidents, declining by around 20% during the last few years. "However, there is still a lot of work to be done in this area. Iata published and distributed the second edition of the Runway Excursion Risk Reduction Toolkit in May 2011," he said, adding that the new edition included increased focus on the role of airports and air navigation service providers in preventing runway excursion-related accidents. Other programmes Iata had embarked on to improve aviation safety included its training and qualification initiative, aimed at modernising pilot and maintenance training; the identification of ways to improve industry attractiveness; the creation of a fatigue risk management system for operators - which had now been translated into Russian and Chinese; data sharing; and the sharing of best practices. The introduction of area navigation, which improved safety by providing a precise lateral and vertical flight path in areas of difficult terrain, had also assisted in making aviation much safer. "There is also ongoing collaborative efforts between governments, airlines, airports, manufacturers and service providers - all these are continuously working to improve safety in the industry," said Matschnigg. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/global-airline-safety-improves-but-african- record-still-a-concern-2012-06-18 Back to Top Back to Top Pioneering female pilot who flew Spitfires during Second World War and became magazine cover girl dies aged 91 Maureen Dunlop de Popp, a female pilot who flew Spitfires, Lancasters and Hurricanes during the Second World War, has died aged 91. Dunlop joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in 1942 and became one of a small group of female pilots based at White Waltham in Berkshire who were trained to fly 38 types of aircraft between factories and military airfields across the country. Her sex meant she was not allowed to fly in combat but her duties were still not without danger. She often had to fly in challenging weather conditions - which cost the lives of some of her experienced colleagues including Amy Johnson, who had become famous for setting world records for flying long-distances, but died in 1941 after baling out in cloud over the Thames estuary. Once Dunlop had to make an emergency landing when flying a Spitfire as the cockpit canopy blew off after take off, while another time she had to land in a field after the engine of her Argus aircraft failed in the air. Dunlop loved being behind the controls of a plane and while she clocked up more than 800 hours during her time with the ATA, she lamented the fact women were not allowed to fly them in combat. 'I thought it was the only fair thing. Why should only men be killed?' she once said. Fearless: Maureen clocked up more than 800 hours flying during the Second World War As well as being an experienced pilot, Dunlop became a cover girl sensation when she was pictured pushing her hair out of her face as she left the cockpit of a Barracuda in 1944. The shot featured on the front page of Picture Post magazine, proving women could be fearless as well as glamorous - and integral to the war effort. Dunlop was born in Argentina in 1920 to Eric Chase Dunlop, an Australian farm manager employed by a British company in Argentina, and Jessimin May Williams, an English woman, giving Dunlop dual nationality. Dunlop regularly visited England, having her first flying lessons here at the age of 15, and was taught for a time at St Hilda's College, an English school at Hurlingham in Buenos Aires. Despite the journey being dangerous, she returned to the UK with her sister via a ferry in the Forties because she was determined to help the war effort, following in the footsteps of her father who had served with the Royal Field Artillery in the First World War. Female pilots like Dunlop had to fight hard to prove themselves in a chauvinistic climate. In order to join the ATA, they needed a minimum of 500 hours' solo flying, whereas men could join with 250 hours. They had to fly the fighter aircraft with limited training and were often looked down upon by the male RAF pilots. However, not all men saw the female pilots as inferior, as Sir Stafford Cripps arranged for the female members of the ATA to have the same pay as their male colleagues. Dunlop's achievements were recognised in 2003 when she was one of three female ATA pilots awarded the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigator's Master Air Pilot Award. After the war, Dunlop returned to Argentina where she continued to fly as an instructor and then a commercial pilot. She married Serban Victor Poppin in 1955 after meeting him at a British Embassy function in Buenos Aires and they had a son and two daughters. In 1973, they returned to England and lived in Norfolk breeding pure-blood Arab horses. Her husband died in 2000 but she is survived by their son and one of their daughters. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2160959/Pioneering-female-pilot-flew- Spitfires-Second-World-War-magazine-cover-girl-dies-aged-91.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Back to Top Northrop Grumman Unveils U.S. Navy's First MQ-4C BAMS Unmanned Aircraft Northrop Grumman Corporation unveiled the first U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS) in a ceremony today at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility. "Northrop Grumman is proud to provide our U.S. Navy customer with the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, a key element of the BAMS UAS program, representing the future of naval aviation and a strategic element of the U.S. Navy," said Duke Dufresne, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector vice president and general manager for unmanned systems. "The BAMS UAS program will revolutionize persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. We are honored to serve the U.S. Navy and our nation's allies in the quest to build and maintain a strong and cooperative global maritime domain." The Northrop Grumman BAMS UAS is a versatile maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system to support a variety of missions while operating independently or in direct collaboration with fleet assets. When operational, BAMS will play a key role in providing commanders with a persistent, reliable picture of surface threats, covering vast areas of open ocean and littoral regions as the unmanned segment of the Navy's Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Force. "Today is a significant day for the BAMS team," said Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, program executive officer, unmanned aviation and strike weapons. "The work they have done and will continue to do is critical to the future of naval aviation. Their efforts will enable the BAMS system to provide the fleet a game-changing persistent maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability." Designated the MQ-4C, the U.S. Navy released the aircraft name today as "Triton," keeping with the tradition of naming surveillance aircraft after Greek sea gods. Triton is the Greek messenger of the sea. Currently, BAMS-D (demonstrator), a Block 10 RQ-4 equipped with maritime sensors, is being used by the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. BAMS-D provides a glimpse of the full persistent capabilities that the Triton's 360-degree Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) radar will bring to the fleet. The MFAS radar is produced by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. The BAMS UAS program is managed by the Navy's Program Executive Office (Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons), Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-262), at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. http://www.defpro.com/news/details/36535/?SID=d3c231dd3100848edaab68de436473bf Back to Top Airport sells off Duchess's lost diamond tiara The Duchess of Argyll, who lost four pieces of jewellery including a diamond tiara at Glasgow Airport, spotted one of them in an auction catalogue after BAA sold it off, it was reported. The Duchess lost a Victorian headpiece and a Cartier brooch along with two other pieces worth a total of £100,000 in 2006. The items went missing as she returned to Clan Campbell's ancestral home, Inveraray Castle. Despite reporting the loss to the police and informing the Art Loss Register (ALR), they could not be traced until the Duchess, 68, saw her missing brooch in a catalogue for Scottish auction house Lyon and Turnbull, the Independent reported. After the ALR investigated, it emerged the airport's owner, BAA, had found the jewellery just months after it went missing and sold it to a diamond merchant for less than £5,000. The proceeds were given to charity. Christopher Marinello, ALR lawyer, said: "Apparently, the airport found the jewels or they were turned in to 'lost and found' by someone. "The question remains: what did they do to help find the owner? They didn't call the police even though the airport police had a record of the theft. They didn't call ALR. The only thing they did was sell them." BAA has reportedly offered to reimburse the trader to have the tiara and brooch returned but an emerald ring and pearl earrings are still missing. "I'm absolutely amazed. I thought that after six years I'd lost them forever," the Duchess said. "The tiara was a Victorian family one and the necklace was given to me for my 21st birthday. So everything was very special." A BAA spokesman said the authority would be reviewing its procedures. Gavin Strang, L&T director, said he was "delighted" that the jewellery was being returned to its "rightful owner". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9338449/Airport-sells-off- Duchesss-lost-diamond-tiara.html Back to Top 2012 First Annual FAA Flight Standards Asia-Pacific Meeting August 14-16, 2012 Long Beach, CA USA The FAA Flight Standards Service is initiating a meeting with the States from the Asia Pacific Region that will provide a unique opportunity to share information on our best practices in the safety oversight of operations and continuing airworthiness with civil aviation authorities in the Asia-Pacific Region. Continuing a tradition of other FAA international outreach activities, this meeting will provide a forum for aviation safety leaders to delve more deeply into the FAA Flight Standards Service activities as well as receive information on safety oversight topics key to the Region. The first two days of the meeting will be open to civil aviation authorities only. The authority only session will be followed by a half day industry session which will provide additional focus on topics related to air carrier operations into the United States. Mr. John Allen, the Director of the Flight Standards Service, will chair this event. Notional topics to be addressed include: International Aviation Safety Assessment Program Technical Review and Technical Assistance FAA requirements for Foreign Air Carrier Service into the United States International Aviation Safety Data Exchange (IASDEx) Ramp Inspection Data Sharing FAA Certification of Maintenance Repair Organizations Pilot Training and Fatigue Risk Management Update to Rulemaking Activities NextGen Safety Management System ICAO Support Initiatives Model Civil Aviation Regulations Government Safety Inspector Training Safety Inspector Training Profiles Work-Tracking System We are also soliciting additional topics of interest that you would like to have addressed at the meeting. Suggested topics can be sent to the contact listed below. Who Should Attend Government aviation standards, certification, operations, and maintenance personnel Industry Participation Half day session on August 16th open to industry representatives Contact For more information, contact: Daniel Chong (202) 385-8076 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC