Flight Safety Information August 22, 2012 - No. 170 In This Issue Airbuses Suffer Cockpit Power Failure, Await Fixes Loose Screws Focus of Reno Air Race Crash Probe Second plane in area during fatal First Air crash: safety board documents Aircraft struck by lightning at McCarran, no injuries Maintenance issues blamed for parts falling off Navy aircraft PRISM Certification Support Fed-Ex Donates Airplane To Tulsa's Spartan College LISA Airplanes goes into receivership FAA ISSUES PROPOSED RULE ABOUT CESSNA AIRCRAFT AIRPLANES NEW AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE ADOPTION Boeing unveils action plan for Nigeria's aviation sector Sudan: Civil Aviation Chief Resigns Over Plane Crash PACKAGING COMPANY GUILTY OF SAFETY BREACHES WHEN CARRYING 'DANGEROUS GOODS' ON AIRCRAFT Hackers, FAA Disagree Over ADS-B Vulnerability TSA orders retraining in wake of recent racial profiling in Newark airport Airbuses Suffer Cockpit Power Failure, Await Fixes NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - As United Flight 731 climbed out of Newark with 107 people aboard, the pilot and first officer were startled to find screens that display crucial navigational information were blank or unreadable and radios were dead. They had no way to communicate with air traffic controllers or detect other planes around them in the New York City area's crowded airspace. "I made a comment to the captain about steering clear of New York City, not wanting to get shot down by USAF fighters," first officer Douglas Cochran later told investigators. He wasn't joking: "We both felt an extreme urgency to get this aircraft on the ground as soon as possible." Within minutes, Cochran and the captain had turned around and safely landed the Denver-bound Airbus A320 at the Newark airport. Cochran later told investigators that clear weather might have been the only thing that saved them from a crash. The January 2008 emergency was far from the first such multiple electrical failure in what is known as the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and it wasn't the last, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press. More than 50 episodes involving the planes, which first went into service more than two decades ago, have been reported. And it could be another few years before the last of the thousands of narrow-body, twin- engine jets in use in the U.S. and overseas are modified to counteract the problem. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an order in 2010 giving U.S. airlines four years to make the fixes. The FAA's European counterpart did the same thing in 2009. While no accidents have been blamed on the problem, the pilots union in the U.S. wanted the FAA to give airlines just two years to comply, but the FAA rejected that. Aviation safety consultant Douglas Moss said the FAA should have acted a lot more quickly. "These things cost money and the industry is in bad shape, so you have the economics thrown into it. But if the end result is higher airfares and higher cost of transportation, then that is the price we have to pay to ensure a safe transport system," said Moss, a California-based commercial pilot with 34 years' experience, including 14 years flying Airbuses. A National Transportation Safety Board investigator said long time frames for fixing problems are not uncommon, because of the inconvenience involved in grounding planes for repairs. And FAA spokeswoman Allison Duquette said the four-year window was determined by the estimated 46 hours required to fix each jet. Safety regulators put the cost at $6,000 per plane. The Airbus A320 family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321 models - passenger jets with 100 to 220 seats. France-based Airbus told NTSB investigators in 2008 that 49 electrical failures similar to the Newark emergency happened on its planes in the U.S. and abroad before that episode. Nearly half involved the loss of at least five of six cockpit displays. Also, pilots who post to a website operated by NASA have described at least seven more instances of multiple electrical failure that forced them to abort takeoffs or make unscheduled landings. Four happened after the FAA directive was issued in 2010. Rudy Canto, director of flight operations-technical for Airbus Americas, said that temporary electrical failures in all makes of jets aren't uncommon and that all planes have backup systems - as well as backups to the backups - to handle those situations. New Airbus models are equipped with an automatic power switchover to counteract failures like the one at Newark, Canto said. But Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot since 1990 who has written extensively on aviation safety for www.askthepilot.com, said he has never experienced anything remotely similar to the multiple failures described by Cochran and others. "I can't even recall a case of losing more than a single non-critical instrument, so the idea of all critical flight displays going out at once is pretty radical," Smith said. Also, electrical failures that cause communication blackouts are more dangerous nowadays, given the post-Sept. 11 fear of terrorists seizing the cockpit. It isn't known how many of the 633 A320-series jets operated by U.S. carriers are flying without the required modification because airlines do not have to notify the FAA about each. But United said earlier this year that it has completed work on more than half its fleet of 152 Airbuses covered by the FAA's directive, while USAirways said it has modified more than 60 percent of its 189 affected Airbuses. Delta didn't respond to requests for information about its Airbus fleet. About 2,400 of the planes in service with non-U.S. carriers are required to make the modification, according to Airbus. A spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency said the organization doesn't have figures on the number of planes fixed. A pilot who recounted a 2009 incident on NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System said that 28 years and 20,000 hours of flying experience couldn't help him explain why the cockpit was "like walking into a simulator with no power or batteries on ... only light was the moon." The website does not identify the airlines or airports involved. On the Newark flight, Cochran told investigators, nearly all cockpit indicators and gauges were lost, including his standby attitude indicator, a display that enables pilots to keep a plane at the correct angle. His primary attitude indicator also failed, but re-emerged shortly before landing. "If they'd had bad weather, they could have lost the airplane, absolutely," said Moss, who has conducted accident investigations and served as an expert witness in aviation cases. "It was just dumb luck that it was daytime and the visibility was good." In the Newark tower, a chilling thought occurred to controllers as Flight 731 circled back without warning: Was this another 9/11 about to unfold? "You could see him making a hard right and then another turn; he's deviating off his course and loaded with fuel," a controller working that day recalled. The controller spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of rules against talking to the media. "He turned back east and was going right toward New York, and I thought, 'Oh, here we go again.'" A 2006 failure described by Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch was similarly alarming. Ninety minutes into an EasyJet flight from Spain to England, electronic instrument displays and radio communications went dead. As the pilots struggled to fix the problem, the Airbus stopped sending radar signals for 10 minutes. With "no means of knowing where the aircraft was or what had happened to it," French air traffic controllers diverted another plane that would have passed through the same airspace less than 20 seconds apart, according to the British report. The plane landed safely in England with the pilots trying unsuccessfully to reach the control tower with cellphones. They told investigators they worried they would be intercepted by military aircraft if they tried to land at another airport. Bill Bozin, Airbus Americas vice president for safety, said the company took steps to address the problem before the Newark emergency, issuing two service bulletins in 2007 recommending electrical system modifications. Unlike a regulatory agency, an airplane manufacturer can't require airlines to make safety upgrades. Bozin said increased awareness of the problem has improved the situation "immensely" even though many planes are still flying without the required modification - an automatic power switchover. "With both Airbus, through its communication with its customers, and FAA, which has put out safety bulletins on this issue, we feel that the procedures have been sufficiently emphasized that we are safe right now even before we get the ultimate solution, which is the automatic switchover," he said. While the NTSB has called the electrical failures "a significant safety risk" on takeoffs and landings in low visibility, long gaps between when a safety recommendation is issued and when airlines must carry it out are not uncommon, an investigator in the Flight 731 probe said. "I would love for it to be done immediately as a safety protocol, but that can't happen," said Scott Warren, team leader of an NTSB group that investigates electrical and hydraulic failures. "That puts a huge burden on the operators to ground the planes every time a safety recommendation is made. So you have to evaluate whether it makes sense to wait a month, two months, four months, or more." Back to Top Loose Screws Focus of Reno Air Race Crash Probe RENO, Nevada August 21, 2012 (AP) - Federal safety regulators are focusing on loose screws in the tail of a World War II-era fighter plane modified to race faster than 500 mph (800 kph) as a likely cause of the horrific crash that killed the pilot and 10 others during air races at the Reno National Championship Air Races last September. The National Transportation Safety Board released nearly 1,000 pages of documents and photographs on Tuesday while continuing to investigate the official cause of the accident that also injured more than 70 people at Reno Stead Airport. Among other things, the documents point to potential deficiencies in the safety inspection procedures, something race organizers said they're addressing at this year's 49th annual National Championship Air Races, scheduled for Sept. 12-16. One NTSB document shows inspectors noted about a month before the race that the screws were too short in one of the trim tabs that helped control the P-51 Mustang flown by Jimmy Leeward. According to interviews with the technical inspectors and the crew, the trim tab problem "was due to one or more screws on the right elevator trim tab not having enough threads protruding from the nut and there was an area washer missing in the wheel well." The crew reportedly fixed the problems and the plane was cleared to race, but the NTSB said there was "no written procedure or sign off to ensure" that was the case. Formalizing plane inspection procedures was one of the recommendations of a panel of experts air race officials commissioned in the aftermath of the crash to help make the event safer. Specifically, the panel led by former NTSB chairman Jim Hall said, in May, that it is important to be sure "uncorrected discrepancies" regarding airplane modifications "do not slip through the system." A spokesman for the air races said event officials don't want to comment on the NTSB documents ahead of any findings on the cause of the crash, but are working on improving the event's safety inspections. "It doesn't necessarily mean that there are more inspections," Mike Draper said Tuesday. "What we're trying to do is further formalize the inspection process to make sure that any issues that are found, there's a very well determined - well-prescribed, essentially - chain that shows that issue was addressed before the plane takes to the race course." Analysis of the accident, along with a determination of probable cause, will come later this month when the final report on the investigation is completed. The competition about eight miles north of Reno is the only event of its kind in the world, with planes flying wing-tip-to-wing tip around an oval pylon track, sometimes just 50 feet (15 meters) off the ground and at speeds of over 500 mph (800 kph). Leeward, 74, was traveling at 530 mph (853 kph) when his plane dubbed the "Galloping Ghost" pitched skyward while making a turn, then rolled and slammed into the ground nose first near box seats. Still photos showed part of the tail known as the elevator trim tab came off as the plane went out of control and aviation experts theorized at the time it could have caused the crash. Still photos showed part of the tail known as the elevator trim tab came off as the plane went out of control and aviation experts theorized at the time it could have caused the crash. Photos from moments before the crash appear to show the tab at an awkward angle, indicating the control rod is broken. Investigators say it's possible the trim tab was fluttering because screws were loose, and the movement put enough pressure on the control rod to break it. Another hypothesis is that the plane hit a wake of air, which increased the speed of the flutter and broke the rod. Either way, they said, it's unlikely the wake of air alone broke the tab. Inspectors say the break would have jerked the pilot's control stick sharply, likely causing him to lose control and sending the plane into a roll. Back to Top Second plane in area during fatal First Air crash: safety board documents The crash site of First Air flight 6560 is viewed from the Resolute Airport in Resolute, Nunavut on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Transportation Safety Board documents say a second plane was attempting to land at a Nunavut airport minutes before a First Air 737 crashed, killing 12 passengers and crew. They also raise questions about military air traffic control procedures at the Resolute airport on August 20, 2011. But any connection between the board's concerns and the fiery crash, which also sent three people to hospital, remains speculative, said director of air investigation Mark Clitsome. "We're investigating as part of our report as to where the aircraft were and where they were going," he said Tuesday. "It's too early to say." A clearer picture of the last moments of the fatal flight has emerged from the two aviation safety advisories from the board, which were written earlier this year. One advisory discusses military air control over the Resolute airspace. Normally, Resolute is an uncontrolled airport, meaning pilots land using their own instrumentation and best judgment. But the military had planned to practise responding to an airplane accident as part of its annual Operation Nanook manoeuvres. "In preparation for this, the military, for the first time, was going to take over the air traffic control duties at Resolute," said Clitsome. That made Resolute a Class D airport, meaning pilots must ask permission and take instruction from air traffic control before landing. Pilots were notified of the change through Nav Canada. However, the military radar system had not been completely installed and checked out and was not in use that day. Civilian air traffic controllers have fallback procedures they use to instruct approaching aircraft and keep them a safe distance apart in the absence of radar. Because this was the first time the military had taken over a civilian airport, there was no such Plan B, said the board. "The planning for this operation did not include the contingency for the provision of (instrument flight rules) services in a non-radar environment," the advisory says. Military officials were not immediately available for comment. Fog, cloud and drizzling rain meant both planes were depending on their instruments to approach Resolute. The board's interim report on the crash revealed the First Air 737's landing gear was down and locked and the flaps on its wings were open. Three minutes before Flight 6560 hit the ground in its catastrophic crash, the second aircraft -- another civilian plane -- entered the airport's control zone "without appropriate IFR separation," says the advisory. "There was a loss of separation and had the First Air flight not hit the ground there could have been a risk of a mid-air collision." Clitsome said the military has since promised to alter its procedures. Investigators have recovered First Air 6560's flight data recorder and it contains "good data," he added. The issue of air traffic control is at the centre of several lawsuits that have been filed against the Canadian Forces over the crash. The lawsuits claim there were several planes coming into the airport, but the military did not have enough people on duty to handle the traffic. The suits allege those working the tower were not briefed or properly trained to navigate civilian planes. They also detail how soldiers communicated with the crew of First Air 6560 and gave the plane permission to land. None of the allegations has been proven in court and statements of defence have not been filed. . Read more: http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/second-plane-in-area-during-fatal-first-air-crash-safety- board-documents-1.923874#ixzz24H1XNwm5 Back to Top Aircraft struck by lightning at McCarran, no injuries Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - A Southwest Airlines aircraft was struck by lightning just before 8 p.m. Tuesday as monsoon storms rolled through the valley. A McCarran International Airport spokesperson told Action News eight people were on board the aircraft as it sat at its gate in the "C" concourse. It was not immediately clear whether those eight were crew members or passengers. McCarran reports that there were no injuries or fire related to the lightning strike but the aircraft has been isolated on the tarmac. Whenever lightning strikes the ground within 5 miles of the airport, fueling aircraft at the airport is stopped. http://www.ktnv.com/news/local/166991296.html Back to Top Maintenance issues blamed for parts falling off Navy aircraft YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan - Parts of a Navy aircraft fell off and struck a moving vehicle near Naval Air Facility Atsugi in February because of improper maintenance, Navy officials said Wednesday following the release of an investigation report to the Japanese government. Maintenance procedures were not followed on the EA-6B Prowler, which shed its port mid-door panel and a port aft tailpipe panel while on landing approach into Atsugi on Feb. 8, according to Navy officials. "A fastener came loose, which allowed the panels to be pulled off by the wind," Navy spokesman Jon Nylander said Wednesday. The aluminum debris, which landed on both sides of the base fence, struck a vehicle driven by a Japanese man off-base. No injuries were reported. Following the incident, Atsugi grounded its aircraft and conducted an "operational pause" for two days while reviewing safety procedures. The incident led to complaints by Japanese civic groups and an apology from Navy officials. The base is surrounded by residential areas and Navy officials have had to respond to complaints over noise and other issues in recent years from local governments and citizens groups. The Navy has issued reports of pieces falling off planes at Atsugi periodically in recent years. In February 2011, a sonar buoy typically used for underwater surveillance fell from a Navy SH-60F Seahawk helicopter and crashed into a farm field. The Prowler involved in the incident has since been replaced, along with the rest of the Prowlers in the previous squadron, with newer EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets. The planes are assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington's air wing. http://www.stripes.com/news/maintenance-issues-blamed-for-parts-falling-off-navy- aircraft-1.186533 Back to Top Back to Top Fed-Ex Donates Airplane To Tulsa's Spartan College TULSA, Oklahoma - A Boeing 727 just took last flight Tuesday, but it's got a long life ahead of it at the Spartan College of Aeronautics. Fed-Ex Express donated the freighter plane to the school. The company said they hope to inspire the next generation of aviation workers. Spartan wasted no time giving students a first-hand look. "The majority of them will go to work on airplanes of this size, this type. And now they'll have an idea what the airplanes look like that they'll be working on-what's around them, what's involved with them," said Spartan instructor Sam Williams. It's the biggest donation Spartan has received, and their only 727 airplane on site. http://www.newson6.com/ Back to Top LISA Airplanes goes into receivership France-based LISA Airplanes, which is developing the composites-intensive AKOYA airplane, has entered receivership but still expects to finish manufacturing the plane and bring it to market. LISA Airplanes' AKOYA. LISA Airplanes (Le Bourget du Lac, France) reported on Aug. 16 that the Commercial Court of Chambery has accepted the request from LISA Airplanes' founders to place the company in receivership. LISA Airplanes was founded in 2004 with the goal to design and market AKOYA, a revolutionary composites-intensive aircraft. To reach this goal, LISA Airplanes was financed from 2005 on up to 80 percent by private funds. In July, LISA Airplanes was finalizing a fundraising bound to the commercial development of the company. The terms of negotiation anticipated progressive and long-term financing. As the selected investors were not able to fulfill their commitment, and the historical shareholders could not secure LISA Airplanes' financial plan, the founders decided to place the company into receivership on July 30 in order to protect its future. This situation has no impact on LISA's clients' deposits, all of them being under a bank warranty. A six-month phase of observation has been granted by the Commercial Court of Chambery. During this period of transition, the team supports the managers to ensure a fast resumption of activity. With the coming financing plan, LISA Airplanes and its partners say they will be able to launch the AKOYA worldwide. The AKOYA is a two-seater amphibious airplane with a unique design and a wealth of features. From ground, water or snow, the AKOYA has a range of 1,250 miles/2000 km and maximum speed of 135 knots/250kmh. Its wings can be folded to be parked in a garage. http://www.compositesworld.com/news/lisa-airplanes-goes-into-receivership Back to Top FAA ISSUES PROPOSED RULE ABOUT CESSNA AIRCRAFT AIRPLANES NEW AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE ADOPTION WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 -- Federal Aviation Administration has issued a proposed rule called: Airworthiness Directives; Cessna Aircraft Company Airplanes. The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on Aug. 20 by Earl Lawrence, Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, states: "We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Cessna Aircraft Company Models 172R and 172S airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of chafed fuel return line assemblies, which were caused by the fuel return line assembly rubbing against the right steering tube assembly during full rudder pedal actuation. This proposed AD would require you to inspect the fuel return line assembly for chafing; replace the fuel return line assembly if chafing is found; inspect the clearance between the fuel return line assembly and both the right steering tube assembly and the airplane structure; and adjustment as necessary. We are proposing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products." For more information, contact Jeff Janusz, Aerospace Engineer, Wichita Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, 1801 S. Airport Road, Room 100, Wichita, Kansas 67209; phone: 316/946-4148 ; fax: 316/946-4107; email: jeff.janusz@faa.gov The full text of the notice can be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08- 20/html/2012-20371.htm For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/news/2012/08/21/faa-issues-proposed-rule-about- cessna-aircraft-airplanes-new-airworthiness-directive-adoption.html Back to Top Boeing unveils action plan for Nigeria's aviation sector Some relief may finally be coming the way of Nigerian airlines, as giant aircraft manufacturer, Boeing and Nigeria's Ministry of Aviation broker an 8-point Programme of Action expected to transform the sector, especially the lot of the airlines. The deal was brokered with a team of Nigerian officials on the Investors' Roadshow to the United States, led by Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah and top management of Boeing Corporation of USA. Under the programme, will play a major role in the establishment of Maintenance and Repair Organisations (MROs) in the country, establishment of Boeing Training Hub in Nigeria, carry out technical assessment of all aircraft operated by domestic airlines in the country, fleet renewal and acquisition programme for the airlines, and develop an aviation database for the country. The deal is expected to ensure the repositioning of Nigeria's aviation sector as the reference point on all aviation matters in Africa, through a systematic approach that will enhance and sustain the nation's safety record, develop the local industry as the hub on the continent and structure it as a major engine of growth for the nation's economy. The scope of the deal also covers the development of an Integrated Air Navigation System (based on PBN), Optimisation System Support for airports and airlines, as well as assessing existing spare parts and material marts in Nigeria, with a view to proposing a business partnership case for the establishment of an integrated spare parts super market in the country. Under the technical assessment of aircraft operated by the domestic airlines programme, the action plan indicates that Boeing will assess the technical and operational conditions of all aircraft operated in the country and advise the ministry on measures that will ensure sustainable safety in the nation's airspace. This includes a comprehensive assessment of the mechanical, technical, electrical, avionics and other components of all commercial aircraft, through physical inspection of the aircraft, and reporting of findings. Boeing is also to provide a diagnostic kit for Early Warning Systems (EWS) on the physical and operational conditions of domestic carriers, and provide a check list for mitigating systems collapse. It will also assess the existing fleet capacity of domestic carriers and propose an appropriate model for fleet acquisition, management and renewal. On the MROs, Boeing is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of all existing MRO platforms in Nigeria and report on their capacities in relation to all classes of mandatory maintenance checks, propose partnership models for the establishment of an integrated MRO platform for mandatory checks, up to C-Checks, and advise on infrastructural and operational requirements, to mitigate short-comings. In order to achieve the ambition of making Nigeria a training hub on the continent and enhancing the capacity of the industry in the country, Boeing is to carry out an assessment of training facilities and operational capacity of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, the capacity gaps in all its programmes, its operational capacity in relation to all categories of training requirements for all classes of airline services in Nigeria, and propose appropriate training curricula to be adopted by NCAT for all categories of training, amongst others. Boeing, whose team was led by Lawrence Polliver, Director of Sales (Africa) expressed satisfaction with the ministry's roadmap for the revival of the aviation industry in Nigeria, and declared its readiness to collaborate on the 8-point programme of action for repositioning the sector as the aviation hub on the continent. http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/43211-boeing- unveils-action-plan-for-nigerias-aviation-sector Back to Top Sudan: Civil Aviation Chief Resigns Over Plane Crash Khartoum - The head of the Sudanese Civil Aviation Corporation (SCAC), Mohammed Abdel Aziz, tendered his resignation to the country's president Omer Al-Bashir on Tuesday, citing the need to account for a plane crash that killed 32 officials this week. It is not yet confirmed whether Al-Bashir has accepted the resignation which follows the death on 19 August of 32 people including one federal minister, three state ministers and a cohort of military and security officials in a plane crash in the country's conflict-hit region of South Kordofan. The plane, an Antonov AN-26 charter flight, exploded when it a hill around the town of Talodi, killing all people on board. According to the country's Media Minister Ahmad Bilal, the crash was due to "bad weather conditions. The authorities also said the officials were on their way to perform Eid prayer in Talodi, which is the third largest town in South Kordofan and was recently the subject of several occupation attempts by the region's rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). SCAC chief said that Talodi crisis had prompted him to resign, adding that the resignation was referred to the president. Abdel Azizi, who extended his condolences to the families of the crash victims, said that the incident was a national disaster and requires the official in charge to step aside. He further expressed his readiness to face the results of any investigation into the tragedy. Meanwhile, the authorities revealed that the crew of the ill-fated plane was comprised of four Russian pilots, a Sudanese pilot called Abdel Moniem and two female Sudanese stewards. The Russian embassy confirmed on Monday that a Russian pilot was among the victims. "He was the captain," Yury Vidakas, the embassy's press officer, told AFP Sudan complains that its aviation sector is eroding under more than ten years of U.S. economic sanctions which prevent the country from buying spare parts. Recently the European Union decided to ban Sudanese aircrafts from entering its airspace citing lack of safety standards. http://allafrica.com/stories/201208220459.html Back to Top PACKAGING COMPANY GUILTY OF SAFETY BREACHES WHEN CARRYING 'DANGEROUS GOODS' ON AIRCRAFT LONDON -- Civil Aviation Authority issued the following press release: A West London packaging company has been fined pound 25,000 and pound 6,630 costs at Isleworth Crown Court for attempting to transport improperly packed dangerous goods on a cargo flight from Heathrow airport in August 2011. Angel Case and Packing Company Limited pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing, following a prosecution by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Court heard Angel Case had not complied with safety requirements for packing a consignment of 51 chemical oxygen generators, which are classified as dangerous goods under international law. The generators were due to be shipped to Italy on behalf of a client. Concerns were raised by a staff member of the courier company DHL, as the consignment was inspected before being loaded onto a cargo aircraft. A CAA Dangerous Goods Inspector subsequently found the consignment to be unsafe and a potential risk to the aircraft. The 51 COGs were being packed by Angel Case on behalf of a specialist aircraft spares and services company based in Weybridge, Surrey. Chemical oxygen generators (COGs) are the devices which provide oxygen to airline passengers in the event of a depressurisation. When fitted to an aircraft, in accordance with airworthiness requirements, these devices are safe. But if they are shipped in cargo without complying with requirements for the safe transport of dangerous goods they pose an extreme risk to the safety of an aircraft and its occupants. This was illustrated in 1996 when a ValuJet DC-9 passenger flight crashed into the Florida Everglades. All 105 passengers and 5 flight crew were killed. The aircraft was carrying 144 COGs as cargo. They were loosely packed within five unmarked cardboard boxes; bubblewrap had been wrongly used as cushioning on the top of each box and the boxes were not secured within the cargo hold. Safety investigators found that the activation of one or more COGs in the cargo compartment initiated a fire on the aircraft which led to flight control failure. In the aftermath of this crash, COGs were prohibited from being carried as cargo on passenger aircraft. Speaking after the sentence, Matt Lee, Head of Aviation Regulation Enforcement at the CAA, said: "We welcome today's sentence which reinforces the importance of adhering to the requirements which are in place to ensure dangerous goods can be carried safely by air. As the tragic crash in Florida in 1996 shows, chemical oxygen generators can be incredibly dangerous if not shipped correctly.." For more information on dangerous goods visit www.caa.co.uk/dangerousgoods http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/news/2012/08/22/packaging-company-guilty-of- safety-breaches-when-carrying-dangerous-goods-on-aircraft.html Back to Top Hackers, FAA Disagree Over ADS-B Vulnerability The ADS-B system that is the cornerstone of the FAA's NextGen ATC modernization plan is at risk of serious security breaches, according to Brad Haines (aka RenderMan), a hacker and network security consultant who is worried about ADS-B vulnerabilities. Haines outlined his concerns during a presentation he gave at the recent DefCon 20 hacker conference in Las Vegas, explaining that ADS-B signals are unauthenticated and unencrypted, and "spoofing" or inserting a fake aircraft into the ADS-B system is easy. Haines and hacker Nick Foster demonstrated this by spoofing a fake aircraft into simulated San Francisco airspace, using the Flight Gear simulator program. He said spoofing a target into the real ADS-B system would be a simple matter of transmitting the signal on the ADS-B frequencies. The FAA said that the ADS-B system is secure and that fake ADS-B targets will be filtered from controllers' displays. "An FAA ADS-B security action plan identified and mitigated risks and monitors the progress of corrective action," an FAA spokeswoman told AIN. A spokeswoman for key ADS-B contractor ITT Exelis explained, "The system has received the FAA information security certification and accreditation. The accreditation recognizes that the system has substantial information security features built in, including features to protect against...spoofing attacks. [This] is provided through multiple means of independent validation that a target is where it is reported to be." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2012-08-21/hackers-faa-disagree- over-ads-b-vulnerability Back to Top TSA orders retraining in wake of recent racial profiling in Newark airport and beyond In the wake of reports of racial profiling at airports in Newark, Honolulu and Boston, the Transportation Security Administration is ordering refresher training for behavior detection workers at 161 airports and reviewing training, data collection and other elements of the nationwide program. "All behavior detection officers nationwide are receiving an online refresher course to reinforce that racial/ethnic profiling will not be tolerated," the TSA said in a statement yesterday. The TSA also said more intensive classroom training will be given to officers at Boston's Logan International Airport, where reports of racial profiling surfaced this month after a TSA compliance officer substantiated a local screener's complaint. The TSA said the classroom training is also being given to behavior detection officers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, where racial profiling has not been reported but where the same intensive program as the one in Boston is in place. Apart from the training initiatives, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has directed TSA Administrator John Pistole to take steps to prevent profiling. Those steps include working with Homeland Security's civil rights consultant to review training programs and curriculum; enhancing data collection procedures for the behavior detection program; emphasizing to employees the importance or reporting profiling; and letting fliers know the TSA will respond to their complaints. Even federal security directors, who serve as the top TSA official at each airport, will receive a refresher course in the core principals underlying the behavior detection program, which is intended to identify potential terrorists by body language, degree of eye contact and other cues. Despite the measures, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, yesterday called for suspension of the behavior detection program. "The American taxpayer should not continue to foot the bill for a program that has not spotted a single terrorist threat but has been accused of racial profiling in three separate airports over the past year, Thompson told The Star-Ledger. "Additional training cannot cure a program that is inherently flawed. The program should be suspended until it can be validated and reviewed by the scientific community." Others welcomed the retraining. "Training in general is good for any department within TSA," said Phil Tsambazis, president of Local 400 of the Transportation Security Management Association, a professional group for TSA supervisors in Newark. "Hopefully this will remove the black eye from the program." Racial profiling at Newark Liberty International Airport in 2008 and 2009 was detailed in an internal TSA document obtained last year by The Star-Ledger, which found a group of behavior detection officers and managers nicknamed "the Great Mexican Hunters," had targeted Mexican and Dominican passengers for scrutiny of their travel documents. The intent was not to catch terrorists, but to maximize law enforcement referrals of any kind to make the behavior detection program seem productive, according to the report. Newark Liberty's entire behavior detection staff was retrained. The internal TSA document was known as the "Boston Report," because the two officers who compiled it had been brought in from their regular posts at Logan International, where the TSA had launched the behavior detection program. Ironically, allegations of racial profiling later arose at Logan, surfacing in a report earlier this month by The New York Times. Citing the ongoing investigation at Logan, the TSA declined to say what role, if any, the two behavior detection officers who investigated the profiling in Newark may have played in the Boston probe. Reports of racial profiling at Honolulu International Airport last fall prompted a third TSA investigation. However, in April, the TSA concluding that "available evidence does not substantiate the allegations." http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/08/tsa_orders_retraining_in_wake.html Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC