Flight Safety Information July 5, 2012 - No. 135 In This Issue France-Brazil crash: Faulty data misled pilot Nigeria: Dana Crash - 9 Victims' Families Get $30,000 Each Firefighting plane crashes; government reviews air tankers' safety Small aircraft to require new safety equipment (Canada) 2012 Aviation Human Factors and Safety Management Systems Wings Seminar ARGUS PROS Aviation Auditing Boeing Plans Jet Experiments Jet Blue pilot found not guilty due to insanity NTSB Hosting General Aviation Search and Rescue Forum Passenger could be asked to give drink samples to TSA France-Brazil crash: Faulty data misled pilot LE BOURGET, France (AP) - The pilot of an Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 nosed it upward during a stall - instead of downward, as he should have - because of false data from sensors about the plane's position, the father of a victim said. A final report on the crash of Flight 447 also points to pilot error, according to families of victims who were briefed on the conclusions before their public release later Thursday. France's BEA air accident investigation agency has spent three years digging into what caused the frenetic end of Flight 447. The plane flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the ocean during a nighttime thunderstorm, killing all 228 people aboard in Air France's deadliest ever crash. Robert Soulas, who lost his daughter and son-in-law in the crash, says investigators said the flight director system indicated the "erroneous information" that the plane was diving downward, "and therefore to compensate, the pilot had a tendency to pull on the throttle to make it rise up." Investigators had known the pilot nosed upward during the stall instead of down, which would have been the normal maneuver for stall recovery. Soulas' comments are the first indication of why the pilot made that decision. The report is also expected to elaborate on why the pilot nosed upward at such a sharp angle, and why the two co-pilots in the cockpit at the time appeared to ignore dozens of stall warnings going off in the 4½ minutes before the plane slammed into the ocean. Barbara Crolow, a German who lost her son in the crash, said she was "disappointed" because she felt the report focuses too much on pilot error. "I think this is not enough. ... There have been other reasons as well and they ignored them," she said. Pilot Gerard Arnoux defended the pilots' actions, saying they were doing what they had been taught to do. "A normal pilot on a normal airliner follows" the signals on the flight director system, which tells them to go left, right, up or down, he said. He noted that a European directive last year modified procedures to tell pilots to ignore the signals if they lose data on the plane's speed. A preliminary report released last July described a confused Air France cockpit crew getting incoherent speed readings from faulty sensors, but it didn't draw a conclusion on what caused the crash. It said the crew, who lacked the proper training to head off high-altitude disaster, flew toward it instead, with wrong-headed maneuvers, no task-sharing and perhaps unaware their flight was about to end in the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone aboard the plane was killed. The BEA's findings last year raised worrisome questions about the reactions of the two co-pilots as the A330 went into an aerodynamic stall, and their ability to fly manually as the autopilot disengaged. Broader concerns were raised about training for pilots flying high-tech planes when confronted with a high-altitude crisis. The report included a study of the plane's black box flight recorders, uncovered in a costly and extraordinarily complex search in the ocean depths. In a separate French judicial investigation still under way, Air France and Airbus have been handed preliminary manslaughter charges. Back to Top Nigeria: Dana Crash - 9 Victims' Families Get $30,000 Each Dana plane crash site. More Than One Month After a Dana Aircraft Crashed at IjuIshaga in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Area of Lagos State, the airline's management confirmed, yesterday, that nine people, who are next of kin to some of the crash victims, have received their interim benefits. The airline is mandated to pay 30 percent benefits of the $100,000 insurance cover to victims' next of kin within 30 days of crash. Head of Corporate Communication for Dana, Mr. Tony Usidamen, yesterday, told Vanguard on phone: "As of July 2, the airline had received completed insurance forms for 64 of the victims, four of which are our staff members. "We are aware that most of the next of kin or legal representatives, who submitted documents, are yet to visit the Crisis Management Centre, CMC, and submit documentations to us. Nine claimants have received interim benefits." The airline is, however, not blaming the victims' families as "we believe the families are still observing the customary mourning period. Insurance funds are already in place." The airline further said that members of the families who have submitted relevant documents to the CMC in Lagos and Abuja have been contacted. It advised the families of victims to visit the Chambers of Dana Air's Solicitors in Nigeria for legal verification of documentation and next of kin status to conclude advance payment formalities. The House of Representatives, had last Thursday, directed the management of Dana Airline to pay compensation on or before July 3, to families of the passengers of its ill- fated aircraft. IDPs reject cheques Usidamen said: "Dana Air appreciates that the statutory payments cannot compensate for any of the precious lives lost in the accident, but we hope that it will lessen the pains of the families." He reiterated the company's readiness to make interim payment of benefits to families of those who lost their lives in the crash, in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulations. However, attempt by management of Dana to distribute cheques as interim compensation to the affected Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, was frustrated yesterday, following rejection of the cheques by the victims over what they called "procedural matter". It was learnt that Dana management had prepared N500,000 for Mr. Daniel Omowunmi, N100,000 each to two occupants of the boys' quarters and N200,000 each to six families in the block of flats. 38 IDPs, whose property were destroyed in the incident, were identified and listed for rehabilitation and compensation by Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, in conjunction with the members of Community Development Association, CDA, of the area. At the Ipaja relief camp, venue of the event, confusion, however, set in after LASEMA General Manager, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, delivered a brief address on the essence of the meeting, which also had in attendance Director of Flight Operations, Dana Air, Captain Oscar Watson. What was supposed to be a peaceful meeting turned out otherwise as some victims, through their lawyer, bluntly rejected the interim compensation offered by the management. The management had, at a day-long meeting, offered what it termed 'interim' compensation to take care of their temporary abode pending the full payment of the compensation by their insurance company, saying the company was already working out comprehensive packages to adequately take care of them. Four out of the nine victims, including Mr. Daniel Omowunmi, a pastor and owner of the destroyed warehouse, rejected the cheques through their lawyers, while two other persons later rescinded their decision and collected cheques of N100,000 each. They are Mr. Sapaye Ezekiah, student of Osun State Polytechnic and Miss Bidemi Adebayo, who claimed she had relocated to Cross River State. A lawyer's argument The lawyer, Mr. Gbenga Oguntade, an aviation consultant and solicitor to four of the victims classified as severely affected, rejected the cheques on behalf of his clients, faulting the procedure employed. He argued that the enumeration did not capture some of the victims and property destroyed by the air mishap. He said one of the victims, who went to the house at 7 Olaniyi Street to watch a football match on television on that Sunday, was not included in the list of the dead victims. Oguntade said: "As I'm speaking with you, I have about 10 clients that have no roofs over their heads. If they decamp them now, where will they go? Are they sending them to go and be sleeping under the bridges? "So, insurance package covers all that. We are not saying that they are responsible to the whole world. In the immediate vicinity where the incident happened, so many roofs were destroyed; the roofs caved in and their property were vandalised or stolen by hoodlums who invaded the area. "As the rain is falling, it damages the remaining property. So Dana cannot deny the responsibility of these inconveniences and consequential liabilities. This is nothing but a jamboree." Oguntade expressed fear that going by experience, his clients may be denied their full compensation should they take the cheques, adding that he expected Dana management to respond to the demands of his over 21 clients, who are suffering from the trauma, agony and psychological effect caused by the air disaster. He argued that the relief compensation should be done without prejudice to the main claim by his clients, which had not been replied to by Dana management after the initial letter written to them on the matter. Also, some of the affected persons, who were excluded in the compensation list, had a hot argument with representatives of the Iju-Ishaga CDA, led by its Chairman, Mr. Adewale Oriowo. They demanded for immediate inclusion. Dana speaks Usidemen told newsmen: "We are here at the Lagos relief camp on an exercise as part of effort to rehabilitate the displaced Iju-Ishaga residents. "Since the incident, Dana has been in touch with the affected families. We had earlier given them relief materials. We have also been on the lookout for proper accommodation for the severely affected people who lost their houses. "Last week, we held a meeting with affected families and briefed them on the accommodation arrangement. All of them decided that instead of giving them accommodation, they would rather accept payment. So we are here in honour of that decision taken and we have just presented cheques for accommodation to them. "This is by no means the compensation in a situation like this. Our insurance firms are working out the extent of damage and adequate insurance would be paid. This is just an effort to give interim relief before the actual comprehensive compensation. A temporary relief effort we have been working on in conjunction with LASEMA and the families. We will continue to be with them and assist them. "On the rejection, some of them raised concern over the way and manner in which the cheques have been prepared. They would rather have a formal letter to them on what the payment would be like. We appreciate their concern and we are going to do that. "I wish to stress that this is by no means compensation. We are aware that many people were affected in various manners, but surely they would be compensated adequately." LASEMA's classification Osanyintolu said LASEMA based its enumeration on its finding at the crash site. He added that the classification of the victims was on severely affected, moderately affected and mildly affected that involved the local government representatives, Community Development Association, representatives of Dana Airline and all other stakeholders. On June 3, a Boeing McDonnell Douglas (MD-83) with registration number 5N-RAM, operated by Dana Airlines Limited, crashed into five houses on Akande, Poopola streets, Iju-Ishaga in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Area of the state, leaving three houses severely damaged and over 153 people killed in the process. The aircraft was en route Lagos from Abuja. http://allafrica.com/stories/201207050089.html Back to Top Firefighting plane crashes; government reviews air tankers' safety DENVER (AP) - Air Force air tankers fighting wildfires across the nation were grounded for a day as investigators looked into what caused the deadly crash of a military cargo plane fighting a South Dakota blaze over the weekend. The remaining fleet of seven planes was grounded after one of the specially equipped C- 130s crashed Sunday while fighting a wildfire in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Six Air Force C-130 tankers will resume firefighting flights today; a seventh is returning to North Carolina. U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the planes while they are on firefighting duty, said the one-day suspension of flights was to review safety procedures. The decision to suspend the C-130 flights left just 14 federally contracted heavy tankers in use during one of the busiest and most destructive wildfire seasons ever to hit the West. In this July 2, 2011 photo provided by the North Carolina National Guard, a crew prepares a C-130 MAFFS 7 (Modular Airborne FireFighting System) cargo plane to battle a wildfire, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A C-130 MAFFS based out of North Carolina crashed Sunday while fighting wildfires in South Dakota. The C-130 from an Air National Guard wing based in Charlotte, N.C., was carrying a crew of six and fighting a 6.5-square-mile blaze in the Black Hills of South Dakota when it crashed Sunday, killing at least two crew members and seriously injuring others. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today that two people had died in the crash. He didn't identify either victim. The crash cut the number of large air tankers fighting this summer's outbreak. President Barack Obama signed a bill last month hastening the addition of seven large tanker planes to the nation's rundown aerial firefighting fleet, at a cost of $24 million, but the first planes won't be available until mid-August. A heavy tanker drops retardant as crews battle the Shingle Fire east of Cedar City, Utah, on Monday, July 2, 2012. Evacuations were ordered as the 500-acre wildfire that broke out Sunday threatened about 100 cabins inside Dixie National Forest. In all, 10 wildfires were burning Monday across Utah. C-130 air tankers have crashed on firefighting duty before. In 2002, a privately owned civilian version of an older-model C-130 crashed in California, killing three crew members. The plane broke up in flight and an investigation blamed fatigue cracks in the wings. That crash, in part, prompted a review of the airworthiness of large U.S. air tankers and led ultimately to a greatly reduced fleet of large civilian tanker planes. The 44 planes in the fleet a decade ago has dwindled to nine being flown on U.S. Forest Service exclusive- use contracts right now. Another aerial firefighting plane, the Lockheed P2V, has had some problems in recent months. One crashed in Utah, killing the two pilots, and another one crash-landed in Nevada. C-130s were used to fight fires in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. They can be loaded with a device called the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, or MAFFS. The system can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant within seconds through a modified side door toward the rear of the plane. The military planes had been filling up with fire retardant and flying out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Firefighters in the field will adjust their strategy and tactics based on the availability of air tankers. The plane that crashed was fighting a fire about 80 miles southwest of Rapid City, S.D. The terrain of the crash site is "very, very rugged, straight up and straight down cliffs," said Frank Maynard, the Fall River County emergency management director. Military officials have declined to discuss details of the crash, but they have said there were some crew members who were being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in Rapid City. Among the major fires burning in the West: *Colorado: The 28-square-mile Waldo Canyon Fire was 70 percent contained. The fire northwest of Colorado Springs killed two people and destroyed nearly 350 homes. Pennsylvania firefighters are among those assisting. *Utah: Two new wildfires broke out on National Forest lands, one caused by target shooting, authorities said. In southern Utah, evacuations were ordered as the 500-acre Shingle fire threatened about 100 cabins. *Montana: The 290-square mile Ash Creek fire jumped a state highway early Monday, triggering evacuations. *Wyoming: Three large forest fires continued to spread as crews faced erratic winds and explosive fuel conditions. Back to Top Small aircraft to require new safety equipment (Canada) Alert system to warn flight crews of collision danger The Transportation Safety Board proposed the new safety regulation last year after investigating the plane crash in Resolute, Nunavut, it became mandatory July 4. 2 more lawsuits emerge over Resolute crashResolute aircrew tried to abort landing before crashPlane crash near Resolute Bay kills 12 Canadian airlines and plane owners will be required to update their safety equipment on some small planes. Private turbine and commercial planes with six or more seats must install a new "terrain awareness" alert system within two years under new regulations announced Wednesday by Denis Lebel, minister of transport, infrastructure and communities. The terrain awareness and warning system sends visual or acoustic alerts to warn flight crews when their aircraft is in danger of colliding with terrain, water or other obstacles. Transport Canada said this will improve safety for planes that fly into wilderness, mountainous regions or remote locations, particularly where there is poor weather or low visibility. The Transportation Safety Board proposed the new regulation last year after investigating the plane crash in Resolute, Nunavut, which killed 12 people. Michael Handley, operations manager with Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, said the new system will make airline travel safer. "It's going to make the crew in the aircraft, the captain and co-pilot, have more resources to be able to operate the aircraft. It's basically another safety net that's being put out as a regulation." Handley said the new rules will be helpful in the North, where there are few international airports. "Flying in the North has always been an extreme factor," he said. "We don't have the control resources, like they do down south. We are still the old school bush pilot atmosphere up here," he said. Handley said Buffalo will have to install new instruments on several planes, costing about $10,000 for each aircraft. Steven Nourse, executive director of the Northern Air Transport Association, said the technology is good, but not perfect. "There are some known problems, so to speak, in the Arctic, with the system. Primarily in terms of, call it false positives where they'll give a warning when they actually don't need to," he said. Steven Nourse, executive director of the Northern Air Transport Association, said the change will affect between 20 and 30 operators in the Arctic. (CBC) Nourse anticipated the change will affect between 20 and 30 operators in the Arctic. Transport Canada will not require planes with five seats or fewer to install the system. Airline companies and plane owners have two years to update their equipment. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/07/04/north-small-aircraft- alerts.html Back to Top 2012 Aviation Human Factors and Safety Management Systems Wings Seminar The fourth annual Aviation Human Factors and Safety Management Systems Wings Seminar will be held in Pensacola, FL September 13-14, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza hotel. The seminar will address issues in human factors and SMS from the perspectives of operations, research and academics. The primary goals are to meet and share information, research progress and learning lessons from multiple aerospace domains. Attendees will have a chance to discuss their challenges and opportunities with industry experts in a learning environment and receive 16 hours of continuing professional education credit through the Wings program. Please come join us in Pensacola for a great 2 day seminar. Signal Charlie and FAA Safety Team present: 2012 Aviation Human Factors and Safety Management Systems Wings Seminar September 13-14, 2012 Pensacola, FL, Crowne Plaza Hotel For more information and to register: http://www.signalcharlie.net/Seminar+2012 Contact: Kent Lewis (850) 449-4841 lewis.kent@gmail.com Back to Top Back to Top Boeing Plans Jet Experiments Changes in Engine Design and Wing Innovations Could Save Fuel, Reduce Noise. By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) Boeing Co. BA +1.47%is scheduled to unveil next week a suite of experimental technologies intended to make airliners more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than today's models. When the year's biggest air show kicks off on Monday outside London, Boeing officials said, the company plans to release details about possible changes in engine design and wing technology that are slated to be tested on a modified 737 jet, dubbed an ecoDemonstrator. Boeing is likely to test next year a new safety feature on its Dreamliner jet aimed at helping pilots to recover from stalls. . The features underscore the aviation industry's increasing focus on developing planes that burn less fuel than today's versions, while producing lower emissions and less noise. Regulators around the world are pressing for such improvements. After flight tests planned for later this year, some of the changes could be used on new Boeing airliners within a few years, the company said. The technologies, planned to be unveiled at the Farnborough International Air Show, range from advanced engine- vibration controls that reduce noise and maintenance costs to updated versions of adjustable back edges of wings able to support faster and less-noisy ascents, according to David Akiyama, manager of Boeing's test program. Mr. Akiyama said in an interview that rear sections of the specially equipped Boeing 737's wings will be able to automatically flex up or down, likely by less than a foot, in order to provide the most aerodynamically efficient shape during the plane's climb, cruise and descent. The enhancements could yield significant fuel savings later this decade. On a new plane, for example, Mr. Akiyama projected that the wing modifications alone could amount to as much as a 2% drop in annual fuel use. The ecoDemonstrator is geared to assess promising technologies that "could move the needle the most" in protecting the environment through swift adoption, but also those that stand to "benefit the most from flight tests," Mr. Akiyama said. The 737 demonstration aircraft is still being prepared by Boeing and its subcontractors, so it won't make an appearance at Farnborough. Boeing this year also plans to test a feature that allows the diameter of an engine's exhaust nozzle to increase during takeoffs and landings, in order to optimize airflow throughout different phases of flight. Planes equipped with the technology are expected to emit less noise and burn less fuel. For next year, the company is poised to test an array of modifications on one of its 787 Dreamliner models, according to industry and company officials. The Chicago-based plane maker hasn't spelled out details of those potential advances. Boeing flight tests of the 787 next year are likely to include a new cockpit-safety feature aimed at helping pilots recover from stalls or other unusual maneuvers that could cause them to lose control of aircraft, the officials said. The proposed system for the 787 provides instant and prominent visual cues-consisting of brightly colored arrows popping up on cockpit displays-to help pilots recover from flight upsets or other extreme situations that may prompt them to become confused about a plane's automation or trajectory. So-called loss-of-control accidents are the most frequent and deadliest types of commercial plane crashes globally. Emphasis on preventing such accidents comes amid a flurry of international studies and initiatives to enhance onboard warnings and pilot training. A joint study by the aircraft industry and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, expected to be released in coming months, has tentatively concluded that loss-of-control accidents often stem from increased reliance on automation combined with eroded manual flying skills, according to industry and FAA experts. Developed by Honeywell International Inc. HON +0.78%in conjunction with Boeing, the proposed warnings are seen as a partial antidote to such hazards. They are intended to advise pilots how to manipulate a plane's controls in an emergency, by giving the pilots clear-cut directions that aren't available on current Boeing models. If Boeing offers such enhancements, airlines are likely to embrace them because the system is projected to require only relatively inexpensive software upgrades to existing flight-control hardware and cockpit displays. Honeywell's latest flight-deck system clearly is "among the technologies we would consider" for extensive flight tests in the future, according to Mr. Akiyama. A Honeywell spokesman declined to comment. In 2013, Boeing's ecoDemonstrator also will highlight novel applications of certain ceramic materials intended to be used at the rear of jet engines that would allow them to run more quietly while operating at higher internal temperatures. Raising temperatures in the core of an engine typically helps improve efficiency, reducing fuel consumption by internal turbines. In addition, Mr. Akiyama said, nozzles made from layers of ceramic materials "potentially could be 20% to 30% lighter" than the metallic parts they are intended to replace. Back to Top Jet Blue pilot found not guilty due to insanity JetBlue passengers call flight nightmare July 4, 2012 (AMARILLO, Texas) -- A JetBlue Airways pilot who left the cockpit during a flight and screamed about religion and terrorists has been found not guilty by reason of insanity, though a federal judge ordered he be sent to a mental health facility for further examination. The judge issued the ruling during a bench trial Tuesday in Amarillo for Clayton F. Osbon, noting he suffered from a "severe mental disease or defect." Osbon's attorney, Dean Roper, declined to comment. Osbon was indicted on one charge of interfering with a flight crew after the March 27 incident on a flight from Las Vegas to New York. Passengers said they wrestled him to the floor after he ran through the plane's cabin yelling about Jesus and al-Qaida. U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson ruled that Osbon, who recently was found mentally competent to stand trial after a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination until another hearing on or before Aug. 6. The judge will decide then whether he can be released or should be committed to a mental facility. Next month's hearing puts the burden on Osbon to show "by clear and convincing evidence" that his release would not pose future danger, according to the court records. JetBlue spokeswoman Alison Croyle said Tuesday that the airline "continues to support the Osbon family; we don't have further comment as we let the judicial process play out." "We can confirm he is still employed, on inactive status, with JetBlue," she said. Anthony Antolino, a passenger aboard the flight, declined comment on the verdict Tuesday. He said he has flown JetBlue and other airlines since the incident and has felt no reservations about air travel. "I think things like this are few and far between," he said. "However, I think the FAA ought to use this as an example in determining how to screen pilots and those who control airplanes. There was no tragedy here, thankfully, but the FAA shouldn't have to wait for a tragedy." The pilot's wife, Connye Osbon, issued a statement in April saying the in-flight outburst "wasn't intentionally violent toward anyone" and asked the media to respect her family's privacy. According to court documents, Osbon showed up at the airport unusually late on the morning of the flight and the plane was in midair when he eerily told his first officer they wouldn't make it to their destination. Osbon started rambling about religion. He scolded air traffic controllers to quiet down, then turned off the radios altogether and dimmed the monitors in the cockpit. He said aloud that "things just don't matter" and encouraged his co-pilot they take a leap of faith. The first officer then "became really worried," according to a sworn affidavit from FBI agent John Whitworth. "Osbon started trying to correlate completely unrelated numbers like different radio frequencies, and he talked about sins in Las Vegas." Osbon then left the cockpit and tensions on the plane began to escalate, according to witness accounts compiled by investigators. Osbon, described by neighbors in Georgia as tall and muscular, "aggressively" grabbed the hands of a flight attendant who confronted him and later sprinted down the cabin while being chased. From inside the locked cockpit, which Osbon tried to re-enter by banging on the door, the co-pilot gave an order through the intercom to restrain Osbon, the affidavit said. Passengers wrestled Osbon to the ground, and one female flight attendant's ribs were bruised during the struggle. No one on board was seriously hurt. At least 10 passengers sued JetBlue after the incident, claiming they feared for their lives and that the airline was "grossly negligent" in allowing Osbon to fly. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8724326 Back to Top NTSB Hosting General Aviation Search and Rescue Forum The July 17-18 event will be webcast. Participants will discuss emerging technologies useful for these operations. Jul 05, 2012 The National Transportation Safety Board will host a public forum July 17-18 about general aviation search and rescue operations, examining federal regulations and procedures used in them, as well as emerging technologies that apply. The event will be webcast, but NTSB has not yet posted the agenda or a list of participants. Visit http://www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/ntsb/ntsb.htm to access the webcast. Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman and all five board members, along with government and industry panelists, will participate, according to the board's announcement. "Search and rescue can often mean the difference between life and death," said Hersman. "Unfortunately, every year we see delays in the detection and location of crashed aircraft due to outdated equipment and a failure to coordinate information and assets." Back to Top Passenger could be asked to give drink samples to TSA The TSA would not say what they are testing for or why they are doing it, but travelers say they have a right to know Passenger could be asked to give drink samples to TSA GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Passengers say their problem is not with the rules at the airport. They understand why drinks are not allowed through security, but when they buy one while they wait for their flight, they say the TSA should not ask to test it. Passengers say traveling is a big enough stress, but now some are worried the drinks they are getting are not safe. The TSA would not say what they are testing for or why they are doing it, but travelers say they have a right to know. "I'm always glad that my safety is a priority, I just think testing drinks after they've already been bought might be a little extreme," infrequent flyer Jennifer Smart said. "The water or or the juices or anything you buy here in the airport, TSA is going to come over and look and check and test it? That's just ridiculous," world traveler Thomas Burgard said. We asked the TSA about the drink testings and they said, "TSA employees have many layers of security throughout airports. Passengers may be randomly selected for additional screening measures at the checkpoint or in the gate at any time." Passengers we spoke to also said they think the price of drinks are too expensive. If security is going to test them, it should be before they are purchased, so they do not waste their money. http://www.kjct8.com/news/Passenger-could-be-asked-to-give-drink-samples-to-TSA/- /163152/15394098/-/2eprat/-/index.html Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC