Flight Safety Information October 16, 2012 - No. 208 In This Issue Flight from Miami grounded at New Orleans airport for 2 hours after typhoid fever scare Air NZ never told of peril from canisters that killed 100 people in American plane crash Probe: Pilots of Crashed Russian Plane Were Drunk Brazil upholds U.S. pilots' convictions in 2006 air disaster Indonesian air force grounds Hawk 200 fighter jet fleet after crash PROS IOSA Audit Experts New Bombardier CSeries Jet Facing 'Compressed' Schedule Southwest Airlines hires Babbitt as labor relations chief FAA Approves Type Certification for S-76D(TM) Helicopter FAA Grants Second Safety Approval for Spaceflight to the National Aerospace Training and Research China begins flight training on its first aircraft carrier with touch-and-go exercises Prism Helicopters first to achieve Medallion Foundation safety award GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Flight from Miami grounded at New Orleans airport for 2 hours after typhoid fever scare An American Airlines plane from Miami was held for two hours on the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday evening after a passenger suggested she might have been exposed to typhoid fever. Passenger Mark Steffan said he was returning to New Orleans with his wife and two children after a family wedding in Key Largo when, 15 minutes before landing, the captain announced there was a medical emergency on board and asked everyone to remain seated. More than 45 minutes after landing at 5:20 p.m., the captain made a second announcement, Steffan said, this time explaining that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was taking a blood sample from a woman who feared she might have typhoid fever. "He said we're all in this together, the flight crew, the attendants, everyone aboard this plane is in the same situation," Steffan said by telephone while he was still stuck on the tarmac. "It seems like they acted quickly, and so far everybody is taking it in stride. Everything is, I wouldn't call it jovial, but there hasn't been one outburst." The captain made a third announcement around 7:15 p.m., telling the passengers on American Flight 1003 that they were free to go but to be sure to wash their hands and to be alert for any symptoms. Capt. Peter Lindblom with the New Orleans Fire Department confirmed there was an incident with the flight and that he sent two firefighters to assist. Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness, according to the CDC. There are about 400 cases each year in the United States and 75 percent of these happen while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever remains common in the developing world, where it affects about 21.5 million persons each year. Symptoms can include a high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache or loss of appetite. In some cases, patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. Typhoid fever is contracted by eating food or drinking beverages that have been handled by an infected person. Typhoid can be prevented and can usually be treated with antibiotics. http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2012/10/flight_from_miami_grounded_at.html Back to Top Air NZ never told of peril from canisters that killed 100 people in American plane crash. The oxygen-generating canisters can become a life-threatening fire risk, but Air NZ's chief pilot, Captain Dave Morgan, says the airline was not told about the danger. An illegal error by the air force seriously endangered the lives of all on board an Air New Zealand international flight, says a report which expressed doubts over the RNZAF's ability to operate safely. The revelation is in an air force report produced during the investigation into the fatal Anzac Day 2010 helicopter flight that killed three crewmen. The report reveals that the "improper and illegal" placement of dangerous canisters on the Air NZ flight from Vancouver to Auckland could have destroyed it. A similar situation in 1995 brought down a United States passenger jet, killing 100 people. The report does not say when the incident happened, but Air NZ began the service in 2007. The items shipped on the Air NZ flight contained chemical oxygen generators which, if incorrectly activated, produce extreme heat and become a highly flammable fire risk. The air force report also found the incident would not have happened if safety recommendations had been adopted - a failing repeated in 53 per cent of cases studied in 10 years. Air NZ has checked and does not believe it was told of the incident. Chief pilot Captain Dave Morgan said Air NZ would be contacting the air force today to learn details of the incidents. The Accident Analysis Report details widespread safety problems throughout the air force. It has never been made public even though it contains details of how air force safety failures seriously injured and almost killed civilians. It raised concerns about safe operation of the air force, saying: "The RNZAF does not have the appropriate and effective processes to adequately and reliably ensure safe and effective military air operations." The report was submitted to the court of inquiry investigation, which narrowed the concerns to 3 Squadron, home to those involved in the fatal Anzac Day flight. The Minister of Defence, Jonathan Coleman, has already ordered two inquiries into the aftermath of the accident. An official at his office yesterday said one of those inquiries would expand from studying safety improvements to include elements of the air force's original crash inquiry. The official said Dr Coleman's office had never received the Accident Analysis Report and had sought a copy from the air force. In a statement, air force chief Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell said the Accident Analysis Report was central to the inquiry. The air force inquiry "accepted many of the AAR's judgments", but not all. The Herald has also obtained under the Official Information Act the air force summary on the Anzac Day crash in which one of its top commanders blames it on budget cuts. In his May 26 summary of the court of inquiry findings, Air Commodore Steve Moore wrote: "When considering this report, I could not help thinking that the genesis of this accident goes back some 10 years when changes to RNZAF command and control were made in an attempt to to make our operations more efficient and cost effective." He said the air force removed two layers of command and supervision, and "nobody at the time realised the real impact the changes would make". http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10840785 Back to Top Probe: Pilots of Crashed Russian Plane Were Drunk MOSCOW October 15, 2012 (AP) Russia's investigative agency says both the pilots of a plane that crashed last month in Russia's far east, killing 10 people, were drunk. The Investigative Committee said Monday that a forensic study found the first pilot of the local flight was lightly intoxicated and his co-pilot was moderately intoxicated when their An-28 slammed into a forest on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Sept. 12. Ten of 14 people on board, including both pilots, were killed. Investigators say they are looking into who was responsible for letting the pilots board. Russia has had a series of deadly crashes in recent years, rooted in lax government controls, poor crew training and neglect of safety rules. Investigators determined that the pilot of a plane that crashed in June 2011, killing 47, was also drunk. Back to Top Brazil upholds U.S. pilots' convictions in 2006 air disaster Handout of the voice recorder of Gol airlines flight 1907 on the floor of the Amazon jungle BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian federal court on Monday upheld the conviction of two U.S. pilots for their role in Brazil's second-worst airline disaster, a 2006 midair collision over the Amazon in which 154 people died. But it changed a lower court decision that had reduced each pilot's four-year, four-month prison sentence to community service in the United States. The federal court said the pilots must instead serve three years and one month in the United States under an "open" system allowed by Brazil law. They do not have to go to prison but have to report regularly to authorities and stay home at night. It was unclear how the sentences would be applied in the United States. A federal court official said compliance was up to the lower court. Pilots Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino, whose corporate jet clipped the wing of a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 that plummeted 37,000 feet into the jungle, were held for two months after the crash and allowed to return to the United States. They were acquitted in absentia last year of all but one of six charges: failure to observe cockpit warnings that the transponder and anti-collision system were turned off for nearly an hour, which meant the Boeing pilots could not see the planes were on a collision course. A judge in the state of Mato Grosso, where the accident took place, originally gave the pilots prison sentences. But they were commuted to community service to be completed in the United States. Relatives of the crash victims protested and Brazilian prosecutors appealed the sentence reductions, seeking a prison sentence and suspension of the pilots' licenses to fly. The pilots have insisted the anti-collision system and transponder were never turned off. They deny any wrongdoing. Their defense had sought to overturn the conviction. The collision snapped off 23 feet of the Boeing 737's left wing, causing it to spiral out of control and break up before crashing into the Amazon jungle. The Legacy corporate jet, manufactured by Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer and operated by Long Island-based ExcelAire, landed safely with minor damage. It was Brazil's worst plane disaster until a TAM Airbus A320 overran the runway and crashed at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport the following year, killing 199. The two major accidents within a year triggered efforts to reform Brazil's air traffic control system, which is overseen by the military. Back to Top Indonesian air force grounds Hawk 200 fighter jet fleet after crash JAKARTA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian air force grounded on Tuesday the operation of all of its Hawk fleet of 200 fighter jets following a crash involving one of the planes in Pakanbaru, Riau province, earlier in the day, Air Force Commander Marshall Imam Sufaat said. An Indonesian Hawk 200 fighter jet crashed in at around 9.30 a. m. local time during a routine flight exercise. The pilot of the plane was reportedly safe after he jumped off the plane with ejection seat. No casualties have been reported. Imam said the grounding measure was a standard procedure applied on the model of aircraft involved in a crash while investigation into the crash is underway. He said that the investigation would be carried out by the air forces' internal team. Currently teams deployed by the air force are evacuating the plane wreckage, which was found in a vacated area in a village near the Pakanbaru air force base. Imam said Indonesia now operates 32 Hawk 200 planes acquired from Britain. Those planes are stationed in air force bases located in Pontianak, West Kalimantan and Pakanbaru, Riau provinces. "We received those planes in brand new condition from Britain in 1994. Those planes were relatively new and have excellent airworthiness," he said, quoted by the largest news portal detik. com. Back to Top Back to Top New Bombardier CSeries Jet Facing 'Compressed' Schedule . (WSJ) Bombardier Inc. said Monday that it had started assembling its first CSeries test aircraft, a single-aisle jet with which it hopes to break the duopoly of Boeing Co. BA +0.56%and Airbus, but the program's chief cautioned the program's schedule was significantly squeezed ahead of the planned first flight later this year. "We are definitely not ahead of schedule, we are compressed," said Robert Dewar, Bombardier CSeries vice president and general manager, of the new jet's schedule because testing the jets systems in full-scale simulators is taking longer than expected. "We are later than we wanted to be at this part of the program, however the tests are going well." "We're driving still to get everything done by the end of the year," he added. Bombardier began joining the forward and center body sections of the largest jet it has ever developed, an important milestone in its development at a time when rivals have suffered lengthy delays when introducing new aircraft. Bombardier executives have cautioned that the planned first flight of the CSeries, which can seat between 110 and 149 passengers, could slip from late 2012 into early 2013. The first jet is due to be delivered to an undisclosed launch customer by the end of next year. Mr. Dewar said the program will weigh the readiness of the aircraft and its systems, opting to fly and meet the year-end deadline or hold the first flight until the systems are more ready in order to shorten testing in flight. "As we get close to the end of the year, we'll decide actually where we are and when we can actually fly," said Mr. Dewar in an interview Monday. . Dewar added that with eight weeks left in the year previous programs have seen roughly five months from the start of assembly to maiden flight, but adds that the company is trying to shorten that with the help of earlier testing of the new jet's systems. order book has been slow to grow for the new jet, as Boeing and Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., EAD.FR -0.58%are aggressively trying to keep the new Canadian jet from encroaching on its territory. The CSeries competes with existing and revamped versions of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. But orders have been slow as its rivals have defended their market shares by selling large volumes of jets with price concessions that help counter the performance benefit of the new Bombardier jet. The U.S. and European manufacturers have racked up thousands of orders for their updated versions-the 737 Max and A320neo-but the smallest models that compete directly with the CSeries have been slow to sell. The Canadian plane maker holds orders for and commitments for 352 aircraft from 13 customers, including Deutsche Lufthansa AG, LHA.XE +0.74%Korean Air Lines 003490.SE -0.74%and Republic Airways Holdings Inc. RJET +2.02% Back to Top Southwest Airlines hires Babbitt as labor relations chief Oct 15 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines on Monday named Randy Babbitt, former head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, as senior vice president of labor relations to direct negotiation and communication with the 11 groups that represent most of the carrier's workers. In December 2011, Babbitt resigned as FAA administrator, a post he had held since June 2009, after he was charged with drunken driving in suburban Virginia. The charge was dismissed in May after a judge said police had no good cause to pull him over. Babbitt was a pilot for 25 years for the former Eastern Airlines and served as president of the Air Line Pilots Association union. Back to Top FAA Approves Type Certification for S-76D(TM) Helicopter The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the Type Certificate for the S- 76D(TM) helicopter, moving the aircraft forward to its highly anticipated delivery into the medium-sized marketplace. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp . is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). The FAA signed the certificate on Oct. 12, capping an intensive flight test program to introduce the S-76D helicopter, Sikorsky's newest commercial product. The S-76D helicopter has a current backlog approaching a half-billion dollars and is expected to begin deliveries later this quarter. "Our customers are excited to begin receiving the S-76D into their fleets. We are equally excited to deliver a new product that represents three and a half decades of continuous product improvement, to offer them a helicopter with improved efficiency, power and best-in-class noise signature," said Carey Bond, President of Sikorsky Global Helicopters. Ed Beyer, Vice President of Sikorsky Global Helicopters, added: "The S-76D helicopter ushers in a new era of excellence across mission segments. The S-76D will be incorporated into the fleets of our customers for every mission segment it currently performs including offshore support, VIP, Search and Rescue, and EMS. The S-76D helicopter will offer a higher cruise speed than its predecessors, coupled with more efficient fuel burn, making the S-76 more productive than ever." The S-76D helicopter is the latest in the family of popular S-76® helicopters manufactured by Sikorsky. There have been more than 800 S-76 helicopters delivered to the global fleet since 1979, contributing daily to a growing 6 million-plus flight hours . Designed for safety, reliability and efficiency, the S-76D helicopter's standard equipment features are all-composite, flaw-tolerant main rotor blades; an advanced THALES integrated avionics system and autopilot; health and usage monitoring system, active vibration control; and powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines. Rotor Ice Protection System for all-weather capability will be available as an option. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries. SOURCE Sikorsky Aircraft Back to Top FAA Grants Second Safety Approval for Spaceflight to the National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center Southampton, PA, USA. October 16, 2012 - The NASTARR Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center in the world, earned its second safety approval from the FAA for the center's Falcon 12/4 Altitude Chamber. This safety approval meets the Crew Qualification and Training Requirements of 14 CFR § 460.5 for Commercial Spaceflight and allows the NASTAR Center to conduct altitude chamber operations from zero (0) feet up to 100,000 feet to support commercial space launch activities, including research, testing, and training pre and post-flight. Rapid decompression events up to equalization altitudes of 30,800 feet are also approved. This safety approval (SA 12-004) is the second received by NASTAR and one of only four that the FAA Office for Commercial Space Transportation has granted to date. In April 2010, NASTAR Center was the first recipient of an FAA safety approval for its Space Training System: Model 400 (STS-400), a high performance training simulation system capable of replicating the acceleration G forces, vibrations, and visuals associated with suborbital space flight. The altitude chamber safety approval from the FAA adds to NASTAR's credibility as a leading provider of Commercial Spaceflight Training. Parent company ETC's CEO Mr. William Mitchell stated, "The addition of this FAA safety approval is a testament to the dedication NASTAR Center has to providing the best possible training experience for commercial space training participants. The ability of NASTAR Center to provide realistic demonstrations in a reduced oxygen environment is a vital part of any training program. We are proud that we have demonstrated to the FAA that, not only do we manufacture the best altitude chambers in the world, but also provide the best training possible while upholding the strict safety guidelines required by the FAA." So far, the NASTAR Center has trained over 250 people for upcoming commercial spaceflights in its NASTAR Space Training Programs, including 115 future Virgin Galactic 'Astronauts,' 45 scientists from Universities around the country who plan to conduct research on commercial space flights, and 70 Accredited Space Agents (ASA's). ### About NASTAR Center The National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTARR ) Center is a unit of ETC. The NASTAR Center is a state-of-the-art aerospace training, research, and educational facility dedicated to improving the health and safety of humans in extreme conditions. NASTAR Center serves military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private), and provides research support for component and human factors testing. For more information about NASTAR Center, visit www.nastarcenter.comor contact Brienna Henwood at Tel: 215-355-9100 x1504 or email bhenwood@nastarcenter.com. About ETC Environmental Tectonics Corporation or ETC (OTCQB: ETCC) designs, manufactures and sells software driven products and services used to recreate and monitor the physiological effects of motion on humans and equipment and to control, modify, simulate and measure environmental conditions. These products include aircrew training systems (aeromedical, tactical combat and general), disaster management systems, sterilizers (steam and gas), environmental testing products and hyperbaric chambers and other products and services that involve similar manufacturing techniques and engineering technologies. ETC's unique ability to offer complete systems, designed and produced to high technical standards, sets it apart from its competition. ETC is headquartered in Southampton, PA. For more information about ETC, visit www.etcusa.com or contact CFO Bob Laurent at Tel: 215-355-9100 ext. 1550 or email blaurent@etcusa.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/16/idUS104573+16-Oct-2012+HUG20121016 Back to Top China begins flight training on its first aircraft carrier with touch-and-go exercises BEIJING (AP) - China has begun flight training on its first aircraft carrier, with photographs posted on websites Monday showing navy pilots practicing touch-and-go landing exercises. Military enthusiast websites posted pictures of a J-15 fighter-bomber executing the maneuver, in which the plane makes brief contact with the flight deck before flying on. It wasn't clear when the pictures were taken, and they did not appear on the Defense Ministry's website or in official media. The exercises are the latest move to provide a combat capability for the carrier, which was launched last month without aircraft or an accompanying battle group. The next step would be the launching and recovery of aircraft, a much trickier process that may be years away. Chinese-produced Z-8 helicopters have also been practicing take-offs and landings on the carrier. Both aircraft are based on Russian and French designs. Chinese pilots are believed to have been practicing carrier operations on mock flight decks located inland. The carrier is the former Soviet navy's unfinished Varyag, which was towed from Ukraine in 1998 minus its engines, weaponry and navigation systems. Christened the Liaoning, the province where its home port is located, the ship began sea trials in August 2011 following years of refurbishment. The carrier's launch underscores China's ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power amid sharpening conflicts with its neighbors over disputed island chains in the South China and East China Seas. Beijing hasn't said what exact role it intends the carrier to fill other than helping safeguard China's coastline and sea links. The Liaoning has also been portrayed as a kind of test platform for the future development of domestically built Chinese carriers. Back to Top Prism Helicopters first to achieve Medallion Foundation safety award Anchorage, Alaska-Oct. 12, 2012- Recognizing excellence in aviation safety Prism Helicopters, Inc. was honored by Alaska Gov. Parnell as the first rotor wing commercial operator to achieve a Medallion Shield. "We are happy to have accomplished this hallmark in aviation safety," said Mark Stigar, president of Prism Helicopters, Inc. "We've worked hard to achieve the Medallion Foundation Shield a goal we set our sights on a year ago." Prism Helicopters, Inc. of Wasilla Alaska was awarded the Shield by Alaska Governor Sean Parnell and FAA Alaska Regional Administrator Bob Lewis at the Medallion Foundation Aviation Safety Dinner on Oct. 12 in Anchorage. "We are very proud and excited to be the first commercial rotor wing business in Alaska to have achieved the Shield," said Dave Zall, Director of Operations. Located on Lake Wasilla, Alaska, Prism Helicopters a company that generates $10 million annually in revenue has 19 full time and 14 seasonal employees and has operated in Alaska for 13 years. Specializing in vertical reference long line slinging operations, Exploration in mineral and oil and gas; Forestry; Government work; Prism considers its greatest achievement as a company that has built its reputation on safe and efficient service. "This achievement was made possible through a team effort every day; ensuring a safe environment in the air and on the ground by pilots, mechanics, by every employee of Prism," added Zall. Prism Helicopters entered into Medallion Foundation's Star Program in 2005 when it achieved a Star for Controlled Flight Into Terrain Avoidance (CFIT-A). It later earned the Operational Control Star in 2006, Safety Star 2007, Maintenance and Ground Service and Internal Audit stars in 2009. Shields are awarded after all star programs are maintained and a carrier passes a thorough audit of all programs. The Medallion Foundation is a non-profit aviation safety organization formed in 2001 by the Alaska Air Carriers Association with a mission to modify Alaska aviation safety culture. Medallion has 34 voluntary member airlines that have achieved either a Star or Shield for aviation safety. Medallion has 16 flight simulators (ATDs) statewide and its CFIT-A program was credited for aiding in reducing fatal controlled flights into terrain over the past 10-years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY: My name is Steve Buckner, and I'm a Doctoral candidate at Northcentral University. I'm soliciting your participation in my research study by conducting a 5-10 minute survey. The topic of the dissertation is titled "Examination of Safety Management Systems and Aviation Technologies in the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Industry". This anonymous survey examines the opinions and associations if any, of air medical rotor- and fixed-wing pilots with regard to their organization's safety culture, the support of safety by management, and use of technology to enhance operational safety. To take the survey, click on the following URL or copy and paste it into your browser's address bar. http://www.hostedsurvey.com/takesurvey.asp?c=NCUHEMS2012 Thank you in advance for you participation..! Curt Lewis