Flight Safety Information October 03, 2012 - No. 200 In This Issue Tel Aviv-bound jet makes emergency landing 3rd case of loose seats on American jet American inspects 47 of its Boeing 757 aircraft for loose seats GE to seek more inspections on engines for Boeing jets PRISM Certification Support Tel Aviv-bound jet makes emergency landing MONCTON, New Brunswick (AP) - A U.S. Airways jet travelling to Tel Aviv from Philadelphia has made an emergency landing at a Canada airport after smoke was smelled in the cabin. New Brunswick fire officials say the flight with 233 passengers landed safely before dawn Tuesday at Greater Moncton International Airport. Dieppe fire chief Charles LeBlanc says the smoke was from an overheated oven. LeBlanc says one passenger was bothered by the smoke and was taken to a hospital to be checked out. Back to Top 3rd case of loose seats on American jet Tulsa workers sent ot New York to inspect loose jet seats on American flights TULSA - Problems seem to be mounting for American Airlines. A third incident of loose seats was reported Tuesday morning by the New York Post. On Monday, it was revealed several seats on two flights came loose mid-flight. At least eight planes have been pulled out of service and the New York Post is reporting mechanics from American's Tulsa maintenance base have been sent to New York for inspections. The flights involved were headed from New York to Miami and Boston to Miami. The third and most recent incident was on a plane from Vail to Dallas. Two of the flights made emergency landings and passengers on board say what they saw and felt was like a carnival ride. "The pilot says we're up in the air and there's something wrong with the seats, that they are loose," said passenger Vicanzo DiGregorio. "We're just going to do a quick check. Meanwhile, they changed equipment, came down and changed planes." American's on-time percentage dropped nearly 30 percent last month This comes as the airline is still trying to determine how many maintenance workers will lose their jobs at the north Tulsa base. More than 700 Tulsa employees have accepted a buyout from the airline. www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/3rd-case-of-loose-seats-on-american- jet#ixzz289QAzJ69 Back to Top American inspects 47 of its Boeing 757 aircraft for loose seats American Airlines issued this statement this afternoon saying it will inspect 47 of its Boeing 757 aircraft for problems with the main cabin seats. "Overnight, a group of engineers, tech crew chiefs and inspectors from American's Tulsa Maintenance Base evaluated airplanes at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport while other airplanes were inspected at other facilities around the country. Originally, American planned to evaluate the seats on eight Boeing 757 airplanes, but out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to proactively evaluate a total of 47 Boeing 757 airplanes that have the same model Main Cabin seats with a common locking mechanism. Thirty- six airplanes were evaluated by maintenance personnel overnight and another 11 airplanes will be evaluated to finish the inspection. "American's internal investigation has focused on one of three types of Main Cabin seats on the 757s and how the rows of these three seats fit into the track that is used to secure the rows to the floor of the airplanes. Our maintenance and engineering teams have discovered that the root cause is a saddle clamp improperly installed on the foot of the row leg. These clamps were used on only 47 of our 102 Boeing 757 airplanes. "The issue does not seem to be tied to any one maintenance facility or one workgroup. "The FAA is aware of our internal review and its findings, as well as the steps we are taking to proactively address the issue. We continue to work closely with the FAA. "American regrets the inconvenience that this maintenance issue may have caused customers on affected flights. Safety is - and always will be - American's top concern." Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2012/10/american-inspects- 47-of-its-boeing-757-aircraft-for-loose-seats.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top GE to seek more inspections on engines for Boeing jets NEW YORK -- General Electric plans to ask airlines for a second round of inspections on its newest engines after an investigation pointed to different causes for failures on a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet and on a 787 Dreamliner. A service bulletin will be issued "in the next day or two" calling for checks on the GEnx engines' low-pressure turbines, said Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for GE's aviation unit. That component showed damage after a GEnx engine on a 747-8 freighter failed on takeoff in Shanghai on Sept. 11. The China incident followed the failure of a GEnx engine on a Dreamliner during a July 28 test near Boeing's Charleston, S.C., plant. A National Transportation Safety Board probe found a crack in a rotating shaft in that engine. The shaft wasn't damaged on the Shanghai jet, the NTSB has said. As GE works with U.S. regulators to identify the cause of the GEnx issues, Qatar Airways said it will defer delivery of Dreamliners it has on order until the engines are modified. Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker announced the delay after a speech Tuesday in Doha, Reuters reported earlier. Qatar Airways' 30 firm orders for the twin-engine wide-body jet trail only All Nippon Airways Co., International Lease Finance and Emirates. Qatar Airways has an option for an additional 30 Dreamliners. Updesh Kapur, a spokesman for the closely held airline, said he wasn't at the Doha event and couldn't confirm Al Baker's comments. Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman, didn't immediately return a phone call and e-mail seeking comment on the CEO's remarks. GE began inspecting fan mid-shafts on GEnx engines after the South Carolina malfunction on the Dreamliner during a high- speed taxi test. Fairfield, Connecticut- based GE said it sent the damaged unit from the 787 to a facility in Cincinnati, the home of the aviation unit. The GEnx is used only on the 747-8, the latest version of Boeing's humpbacked, four- engine jumbo jet, and on the Dreamliner, the first airliner built chiefly from composite plastics instead of the traditional aluminum. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20121002/BIZ/710029875 Curt Lewis