Flight Safety Information August 20, 2012 - No. 168 In This Issue 3 Emergency Landings Put Focus United's Fleet United Airlines jet lands safely at Newark after engine trouble Jet Blue flight diverted to Denver due to 'customer issue' Pilot error cited in fatal 2010 Ark. plane crash Sudan minister among 32 dead in Eid plane crash Police Search for Culprit Who Pointed Lasers at Los Alamitos Aircraft Mexico replaces airport police after shootout PRISM Certification Support Air Safety Investigators Meeting in Baltimore 3 Emergency Landings Put Focus United's Fleet (ABCNews) United Airlines says it is conducting a thorough review this morning of three weekend incidents that left hundreds of passengers stranded and some wondering whether the airline's rocky merger with Continental has undermined its operations. Since their merger two years ago, the two airlines have combined operations this year. Since 2010, the new United has suffered a rash of bad publicity and now has the worst records in the industry for delays. In June, the last month for which the government released data, United passengers filed nearly 600 complaints. That's five times higher than its nearest competitor and five times higher than before the merger. "We've seen this huge spike in customer complaints," ABC News aviation consultant Steve Ganyard said. "Now that we're seeing a rash of in-flight emergencies, the FAA is going to want to ask are they having the same problem integrating their maintenance." United Flight 96 heading from New Jersey's Newark Airport to Berlin was reportedly forced to make an emergency landing Saturday when a tire burst and the debris was sucked into one of the plane's engines. Witnesses on the ground said they saw fire coming from the Boeing 757s engine as they watched in suspense. "I ran to the window, looked outside, saw the airplane and saw fire coming out," D'Jenaba Johnson Jones said. Alex Jackson said, "As it was elevating, I noticed that there was a flame spitting out of the left engine; it was kind of going like pop-pop- pop-pop." Cellphone video showed the plane circling for two hours and 15 minutes to burn off fuel before all 173 passengers and crew members landed safely back at Newark Airport. "The crew followed standard procedures in returning to Newark, where the airplane landed safely," United Airlines officials said in a statement Saturday. United Flight 409 had to return to Newark Sunday morning after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. The Boeing 757 was bound for Seattle. And United Flight 1124 bound for Boston had to return to Houston a few hours later because of engine problems. "The question is, how well is maintenance being done on those airplanes?" Ganyard said. "Is it a coincidence or is there a greater underlying problem that needs to be investigated." Back to Top United Airlines jet lands safely at Newark after engine trouble A United Airlines plane landed safely in Newark, N.J., after engine trouble during take- off. A United Airlines flight with 173 passengers aboard made a safe landing at 8:05 p.m. eastern time Saturday at Newark Liberty International Airport after having engine trouble on takeoff, FAA officials said. Flight 96 to Berlin radioed air traffic controllers to report trouble with the Boeing 757's left engine, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told the Times. She said the plane was operating normally at the time it landed. The plane blew a tire and pieces of rubber were sucked into the plane's left engine shortly after takeoff, FBI special agent Barbara Woodruff told Newark-based the Star- Ledger. United Airlines did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. The plane circled the Newark airport for more than an hour to burn fuel before landing, Brown said. Planes loaded with enough gasoline for an eight- to 10-hour transatlantic flight are too heavy to land immediately after takeoff. Witnesses on the ground in said in a series of Twitter posts that they believed they saw flames at one point. Keisha Thomas was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike when she looked up and saw flames, she said in a tweet. She said she heard a popping noise and saw smoke. Drivers stopped and watched. An FAA investigator will follow up on the incident, Brown said. "Without knowing what exactly happened, it's hard to say how frequently this happens," Brown said. "But jet engines are incredibly reliable." Between 35,000 and 40,000 flights take off the United States each day, according to the FAA. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-united-engine-fire- 08182012,0,3885011.story Back to Top Jet Blue flight diverted to Denver due to 'customer issue' Passenger Arrested After Flight Diverted To Denver DENVER - A Jet Blue flight from New York to Los Angeles was diverted to Denver Saturday night due to a "customer issue" (Unruly passenger) on the plane. A spokeswoman for the Coale/Denver International Airport confirms to Fox News Denver police and the FBI responded once the captain elected to land the plane in Denver. The flight departed New York's JFK airport at 9:19 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at midnight, according to Jet Blue. The plane landed at 11:30 in Denver. The flight then departed for LAX. Neither the airport nor the airline gave any more details on the "customer issue." Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/20/ Back to Top Pilot error cited in fatal 2010 Ark. plane crash LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- The National Transportation Safety Board says pilot error led to a fatal plane crash in northern Arkansas that killed two men in 2010. The Sept. 7, 2010, crash near Buffalo City in Baxter County killed 62-year-old Robert Joseph Ross, of Santa Cruz, Calif., and his son, 32-year-old Michael Ross of Austin, Texas. The NTSB probable cause report dated Wednesday says the pilot flew into a known area of heavy rain and subsequently lost control of the aircraft while flying from Danville, Ill., to Austin. Officials have said both men were pilots and it wasn't clear which was flying the plane at the time. Witnesses told investigators they saw the Cessna T-210 descending out of clouds in a nose down spiral and that a wing "appeared to fold" before the crash. Back to Top Sudan minister among 32 dead in Eid plane crash KHARTOUM: (AFP) A cabinet minister was among 32 politicians, generals and others killed on Sunday when a plane crashed on its way to Sudan's war-torn South Kordofan state for the start of Muslim holidays, state media and an aviation official said. "All people on board were killed" as the aircraft flew in for a ceremony marking Eid, at the end of the Ramadan fasting month, said Abdelhafiz Abdelrahim, spokesman for the Sudan Aviation Authority. The most senior official among the dead was Khartoum's Guidance and Endowments Minister Ghazi Al-Saddiq, tasked with religious affairs, the official SUNA news agency said. It reported that 26 passengers and six crew were on board. Speaking on official Radio Omdurman, Culture and Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said the plane "crashed into a hill" because of bad weather, killing the entire delegation. Abdelrahim told AFP the Antonov plane was landing at Talodi town at about 8:00 am (0500 GMT) when something suddenly went wrong. "Before landing, communication with the pilot was normal and the runway clear. Then an explosion was heard and the plane was destroyed," he said. Accidents are common among Sudan's ageing fleet of aircraft, and Europe bans all Sudanese airlines for safety reasons. At least 30 people died when a Sudan Airways jet burst into flames on landing in Khartoum in 2008. Several small airline companies in Sudan use pilots from the former Soviet Union. It was not immediately clear which firm operated Sunday's ill-fated plane. SUNA did not give the names or nationalities of the six crew who died. The other victims included two top officials - Khartoum's state minister for youth and sport, and the state minister of tourism, as well as the education minister for the Khartoum area, SUNA said. Ten victims, including three generals, were from the security forces, it added. Also killed was the chief of the small Justice political party, a correspondent for state television, three others identified as "media", the head of Khartoum North municipality, a member of parliament, and other officials. Although there have been no reports of major fighting around Talodi in recent weeks, the town has been a key battleground in the war which began in June 2011 between the government and ethnic rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM- N). Rebel spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told AFP that his forces had nothing to do with the crash, which happened outside rebel territory. "It is a government area," he said. The town, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the disputed border with South Sudan, sits on a partly-forested plain beneath craggy hills. Heavy rains have been reported in South Kordofan recently. The dead minister, Saddiq, took on the guidance and endowments portfolio, among whose duties is religious issues, during a July cabinet reshuffle which trimmed the number of ministries. Prior to the reshuffle he had been minister of tourism and antiquities since December. The rebels in South Kordofan fought alongside former insurgents now ruling in South Sudan, which became independent in July last year. Sudan accuses South Sudan of supporting the SPLM-N, a charge which analysts believe despite denials by Juba, which in turn accuses Khartoum of backing rebels south of the border. Sudanese officials say resolution of the security issue is key to the implementation of an oil deal reached early this month with the Juba government during African Union-led talks. SPLM-N has been waging a similar conflict since September in Sudan's Blue Nile state. The UN has expressed concern for months about a worsening humanitarian situation in the war zone, where Khartoum cited security concerns in tightly restricting the operations of foreign aid agencies. But in early August, Sudan signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations, the African Union and the Arab League to allow for humanitarian access throughout South Kordofan and Blue Nile - including in rebel-held areas. There is not yet a start date for the aid operation in a region where the UN says more than 650,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by fighting. Khartoum has also restricted visits by journalists to the area, although top officials last week promised access for reporters. - AFP ************ Date: 19 AUG 2012 Time: ca 08:00 Type: Antonov 24/26 Operator: Alfa Airlines Crew: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 25 / Occupants: 25 Total: Fatalities: 31 / Occupants: 31 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Talodi (Sudan) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Khartoum-Civil Airport (KRT) (KRT/HSSS), Sudan Destination airport: Talodi, Sudan Narrative: A Sudanese Antonov aircraft was destroyed in an accident near Talodi, Sudan. All 31 on board were killed. The airplane carried Sudanese government officials to attend a function marking the Muslim Eid holiday. The victims included Ghazi al-Sadiq, the head of the Ministry of Guidance and Endowments and Issa Deif Allah, the state Minister for the Environment. The airplane flew into the side of a mountain while on approach to Talodi. Visibility was limited due to a dust storm. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Police Search for Culprit Who Pointed Lasers at Los Alamitos Aircraft Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding the person or people who have been pointing a green laser at the aircraft coming and going from the Joint Forces Training Base. Authorities are asking for help finding people who have been pointing lasers at aircraft flying to and from the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base recently. It's a federal crime to point lasers at aircraft, and it's dangerous because the lasers can be blinding to pilots especially as they wear night vision optics. It's a common misconception that the laser pointer projects a simple red or green dot. When the laser hits a helicopter's windscreen, it engulfs the entire cockpit in a bright light. The crime is punishable by three years in state prison and a fine of $2,000 or up to 20 years in Federal prison. Each strike on an aircraft is considered a separate felony offense - whether the person turns the laser on and off or aims it elsewhere for a moment before returning the pointer to the aircraft. Joint Forces Training Base aircrews have reported several incidents of ground-to-air laser interference with aircraft recently. "Never interfere with landings or take offs or point lasers of any type toward the Los Alamitos Army Airfield," Maj. Jeff Sibley, the airfield manager said in a written statement. On-base security forces and local law enforcement agencies have been alerted to the incidents of a green laser being shot from the ground toward aircraft above, according to Sibley. "This is a federal offense as it endangers the safety of the aircrews," he said. Once the laser's point of origin is located, offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. According to statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration, the number of total laser pointer incidents has increased from 1,527 in 2009 to 2,836 in 2010. Officials blame the increase on the increasing availability and affordability of high-powered laser pointers. LAX reported more incidents than any other airport with 102 reports last in 2010. In the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, 201 incidents were reported, with Ontario reporting 32, John Wayne Airport reporting 32, Burbank recording 31; Los Alamitos Joint Forces Base reporting 21; Van Nuys reporting 16, Long Beach reporting 15; Santa Monica reporting 11; and Torrance Airport reporting three incidents. In 2009, a 37-year-old man from Orange was the first in the U.S. to be arrested and convicted for interfering with pilots by beaming lasers at planes. He received 2 1/2 years in prison. Last week, a Lake Forest man was arrested and jailed on $20,000 bail for allegedly pointing a laser at an Orange County Sheriff's Department helicopter. Last year, a 16- year-old Los Alamitos boy was arrested for allegedly pointing a laser at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Helicopter. If you have any information regarding these incidents, call Sibley at 562-795-2571. To report an incident of laser shooting call the JFTB Security Office at 562-795- 2100 . http://losalamitos.patch.com/articles/police-search-for-culprit-who-pointed-lasers-at-los- alamitos-aircraft Back to Top Mexico replaces airport police after shootout Police stand guard at Benito Juarez International Airport after three officers were shot dead on June 25. (CNN) -- Mexican authorities have replaced 348 federal police at the country's largest airport after a shootout there left three officers dead. The officers have been moved from Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport to assignments in other states, federal police said in a statement Sunday. They were replaced by officers who went through a "double background check," the statement said. The reshuffling comes nearly two months after a shooting sent passengers scrambling and left shattered glass on the ground near a food court at the airport. The shootout occurred when police were moving in to arrest fellow officers suspected of involvement in a drug trafficking ring, authorities have said. Read: Mexican police arrest officer suspected in airport shooting The two officers accused in the shooting, Daniel Cruz Garcia and Zeferino Morales Franco, remain at large. Authorities are offering a 3.4 million-peso ($260,000) reward for information leading to their capture. Officials allege that Cruz and Morales opened fire on their fellow officers, who were attempting to arrest them after an investigation showed they had ties to a drug trafficking cell. Cruz and Morales told Proceso magazine last month that they had no connection with drug trafficking and were being targeted because they had threatened to denounce drug ties within airport police ranks. Last month, Mexican authorities said they arrested the suspects'' supervisor, Bogard Felipe Lugo de Leon. On Sunday, police said they had issued a 1.6 million-peso ($122,000) reward to the person who told police where to find him. Mexico City's airport is the nation's largest and is a significant travel hub in the region. More than 27.5 million passengers traveled through the airport from March 2011 to March 2012, according to Airports Council International. Back to Top Back to Top Air Safety Investigators Meeting in Baltimore The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Deborah A.P. Hersman, will give the keynote speech on Aug. 28 at the International Society of Air Safety Investigators' (ISASI) 2012 Annual Seminar. The National Transportation Safety Board's chairman, Deborah A. P. Hersman, will deliver the keynote address Aug. 28 at the International Society of Air Safety Investigators' 2012 Annual Seminar in Baltimore (www.isasi.org). In her remarks, Hersman is scheduled to discuss the value of enhancing the already strong relationships NTSB has with its international counterparts. The Aug. 27-30 seminar is attended by hundreds of aviation safety experts and advocates from around the world, including some presenters from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and from manufacturers including Boeing and Airbus. Other NTSB board members are participating, leading panel discussions on topics including challenges associated with parallel investigations, covering the gap from the on-scene phase to the final report, and developing and fostering safety awareness. Their counterparts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Canada's Transportation Safety Board also are participating. http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/08/20/air-safety-investigators-meeting-in- baltimore.aspx?admgarea=news Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC